Samurai Number 8
by Yangire.Kludde
Summary: What if there was an 8th samurai? What if said samurai was best friends with Kikuchiyo? What would change or remain the same? And just what is this samurai hiding? "I don't consider myself a samurai anymore, you know." Rated M for certain scenes in later chapters. There's some romance, but it's nothing major.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **My first fanfic ever! If I make mistakes in composition, syntax, spelling, etc, please tell me! I want to improve my writing skills.

**Disclaimer:** I do **not** own _Samurai 7_. Akira Kurosawa owns the original 1954 movie _Seven Samurai_, while the anime studio Gonzo made the anime.

**Notes (taken from Wikipedia):**

Ryo - A gold piece in pre-Meiji Japan.

Mon - Japanese currency from 1336 to 1870 in the Muromachi period.

4000 Mon = 16 Shu = 4 Bu = 1 Ryo

* * *

**Chapter One: Out of Jail and into the Team!  
**

"Alright, Akinari, you're out of here," said the guard.

"My month is already up? Cool," I said, as I stood up and stretched. "Well," I turned to my cellmate, who was beat up in the corner," I guess this is 'good-bye!' I'll probably be back in jail sometime soon, though." The poor man flinched at that, and I snickered.

"Akinari, enough," said the guard," Though it _was _entertaining, I don't want you giving anyone nightmares." The guard gave me back my weapons and wallet, the only items I had on me when I was arrested a month ago. I checked my wallet immediately. Dammit! Not again!

"Hey, wait, where's my money?!" I doubled checked my wallet, making sure I wasn't just seeing things," I swear I had 3 Ryo and 4 Mon in here!"

The guard looked to the side awkwardly.

"Oh, about that... Sorry, but we got hungry last week."

Thar must've been some expensive food to use MY money. I earned that shit! They have no idea how hard I had to work for it! I was saving that money for a new dagger, too.

"If only attacking you wouldn't put me back in jail..." I scowled, and I walked out of the jailhouse. I knew my way around the facility, so I had no trouble getting out. And for the record, the only reason why I've been to jail for so many (I think 540? 545?) times, is because I was stupid. Well, I'm still stupid now, but at least I'm not practically living in jail now. Practice makes perfect, after all!

"Oh, wow! Is that kid really gonna shoot?!"

"I just GOT to see this!"

I heard a commotion from up ahead. Walking towards the crowd, I saw my 2 good friends: Kikuchiyo the cyborg, and Masamune the blacksmith.

"Hey, guys!" I waved to them, and stood next to the cart Kiku was in," What's going on?"

"Oh! Hey, Aki!," greeted Kiku, " Looks like you're out of jail! Anyway, see that kid with the bow and arrow?"

"Yeah. What about him?"

"That kid is Katsushiro. He and that weirdo over there made a bet. If Katsu can shoot him, he wins. But if the weirdo catches it, then Katsu will owe him lunch."

"Huh. Some bet. Oh, and why are you in a cart?"

"Your idiot got damaged in a fight," said Masamune.

"Whoa, Kiku in a fight? I wish I saw that..."

"Hey! I lost an arm, you know!"

"Yeah, yeah..." I leaned against the side of the cart, watching the scene unfold in front of me. The dark skinned man taunted the young boy. When the man suddenly spoke, the kid fired the arrow, and the man caught it, right when it nicked him.

"He went and did it," said Kiku.

"Yeah..." Masamune and I both stared in awe.

Then, the man put the arrow down, and seemed to be in ecstasy from the pain.

"He up and shot him!" stated Kiku.

"This is why I can't stand samurai..." I heard Masamune mutter.

Katsushiro put the bow back in its place with the other weapons I saw behind the strange man, then walked towards us.

"Hey, kid," said Kiku," Good shot! Anyway, meet my friend, Akinari!"

I waved to the kid.

"Hello! You're... Katsushiro, right? Nice show, man!"

"Uh... Thanks..." Katsushiro then noticed my katana. "Are you a samurai?"

"I was trained to be one, but I never followed through," I said," but I still practice my swordsmanship."

"I see..."

"Hey, Aki!" said Kikuchiyo," Want to come along with us?"

I shrugged.

"Sure. Where to?"

As we walked down the streets, Kiku told me about the recent events I missed. Katsushiro didn't talk much; he seemed to be moping about something.

"Huh, so some villagers from Kanna is going around asking for some samurai to help defeat the Nobuseri?"

"Yep!"

"And so far, you two are the only ones who've agreed?"

"Yeah, but there's this one other guy that they wanted to get, but so far, he's a no go."

"And you're asking me to come along?"

"Well, yeah! I mean the more the merrier, right?" laughed Kiku.

I slapped his mechanical head.

"Why should I get myself killed fighting Nobuseri?!"

I already fought big ass mechas once!

"You'll be away from here, so you won't be in jail." I was about to make a retort, but I stopped myself, knowing that there was nothing I could say. Kiku _did _have a point. "Well, you joining or what?"

I sighed. "Well, at least it's better than jail..."

"Atta boy, Aki!" Kiku laughed boisterously.

"Thank the heavens... Now I don't have to pay for your fines..." I heard Masamune say.

"I heard that, old man!"

Soon, the four of us arrived at some residential complex. It was the former jail house, but now it's open for anyone who wants to live there. Katsushiro walked into one of the rooms. I heard 2 female voices, and Katsushiro said someone's name.

"What?!" yelled Kiku," Did you say Kambei?!" I saw a dark man in white look over at us. "Hey, you dirty samurai! What the hell are you doing there?!"

The mystery man walked over to Kiku, saying," So it's you."

"The Nobuseri will be cut down by me!" yelled Kiku," Me! Me! **You** get lost!"

The man simply replied," Take good care of that fighting spirit." As Kiku made a ruckus, the man calmly walked back in the room.

Back inside, I introduced myself to everyone. I saw that besides the man clad in white, there were 3 people wearing similar clothing. They must be from Kanna Village, like Kiku had informed me about earlier.

"Hello, sorry for intruding! My name is Akinari. I heard from Kikuchiyo that you folks were looking for samurai to help in your Nobuseri problem. I'm wondering if I could tag along and help, too? Since Kiku's so set on joining you guys, I might as well come along in case the idiot malfunctions or something. And even if the big lug can't come, I still would like to join you in your cause."

A girl smiled, and said," Of course! Thank you, great samurai, Akinari! My name is Kirara, by the way."

"I'm Komachi!" said the little girl.

"And I'm Rikichi," said the man," We're very grateful that you've decided to join us, though the only thing we can offer as a reward is rice, great samurai..."

"Don't worry about the reward," I said, smiling," and please, you don't have to address me with such formalities. As long as I can get out of this city eventually, then it's all good."

"Why?" asked Komachi," ...Are you a bad man?"

"I'd like to be seen as a good person, but there's always a couple of people who want me dead." I turned to the man in white. "So, you're Kambei?"

"Yes, I am."

I studied him for a bit, then smirked. "Well, it looks like you're the boss man. Plus, if you can get Kiku this mad, then I guess you're a good guy!"

"Hey!"

"Oh, shut it, Kiku! Now c'mon! I'm gonna help repair you, again."

As I helped Masamune repair Kikuchiyo, the rest of the group spoke about something. Suddenly, Kiku reacted to what Katsushiro had said, breaking down the strong wooden bars. I face palmed.

"That won't do it, Katsu!" he yelled.

"Y-You broke it!" yelled Komachi, in Rikichi's lap.

"Hold it, Ki-!"

"I won't rest until I've had a word with this dirty samurai!"

I listened to Kiku's speech, though I wasn't really paying attention for much of it. Well, in the end, the samurai Kambei had agreed to aid the villagers. Kiku settled down, and then Masamune and I could finally finish up on repairing the big guy. He was finally all right to go when Masamune poured some oil on his now attached arm. I listened intently to the conversation, but remained quiet.

"Both Katsushiro, Kiku, and Akinari are samurai that are coming to the village," said Komachi," You shouldn't be arguing."

"No," said Kambei, "We're not taking Katsushiro nor Kikuchiyo to the village."

Katsushiro looked dejected, and Kiku merely said," You're not what?! Why does Akinari get to go?!"

Yeah, why do I still get to go? I don't really consider myself to be a samurai.

"What we need are samurai," said Kambei," and I can tell from Akinari that he has fought in many battles. Am I correct?"

He's better than I thought.

"Yes. You're correct," I said, as Katsushiro looked at me," I fought in the Great War along side my master and a friend."

"You fought in the Great War?" asked Katsushiro, surprised. "How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-eight. The only reason I look younger than I am is that I have a bit of a baby face."

Well, that wasn't the whole truth, but it was what I could give them for now. Silence fell briefly, before Kiku said that he was going to sleep. Kambei continued the conversation from earlier, about the enemy and what we should do.

"You say the main force of the Nobuseri consists of 40 units..."

"Yes, about," said Rikichi.

"Benigumo and Raiden models," continued Kambei," Sounds like reinforcing our arms will be unavoidable. War isn't something you can fight without living people. Now then, I'd like to have 8 of us, including Akinari and myself."

"Eight..." said Kirara.

"The Elder said we'd need four."

"We can't take Kiku?" asked Komachi.

"We can't go against the great samurai," said Rikichi.

"If that's what master Kambei says, " stated Kirara," then we don't have a choice." The girl stood up, and I saw Katsushiro tremble in frustration. "With that settled, let's go into the city. We must find the remaining 6."

"Water Priestess," said Rikichi, "If you would, please stay here."

"Why?"

"Those men from earlier might come after you again..."

"That's right!" exclaimed Komachi,"The city turned out to be a much, much more scary place that we thought. It's no place to go sightseeing."

"But we can't protect the village by being afraid all the time," said Kirara.

"Yeah, but..."

"Be cautious," said Kambei.

"I know."

"Hey, Missy," said Masamune," I know the perfect samurai crazy enough to join you guys."

Oh damn. He can't be talking about _him. _

"Who?" asked Kirara.

I sighed and scratched the back of my head.

"The man the four of us saw on our way here," I said. "He's a street performer, but he's pretty good. Weird, but good. Katsushiro fired an arrow at the guy, and he caught it. I think he's still around the street."

"What's his name?" asked Kambei.

"Katayama, Gorobei, I think," replied Masamune.

"Hmm... Will you go get him to come here?"

"Of course. I'll be right back."

With that, the mechanic left. Kirara then started to cook some rice as Komachi was on the look out for Masamune to come back with the street performer.

"Gre- I mean, Akinari-san, would you like some rice?" asked Kirara.

"No thank you. I'm good."

In a couple of minutes, Komachi ran back in, saying that the mechanic was back with Gorobei. Then, Kambei picked up a stick and tossed it to Katsushiro. He told the kid to hide by the entrance of the room and hit the street performer as hard as he can. Though Katsushiro seemed hesitant, he complied.

"If you would come through here..." we heard Masamune say.

It was a tense moment. The dark skinned man with white hair slowly walked in, but he stopped, just before Katsushiro would strike.

"You must be kidding me," said the man.

"Well done!" said Kambei, satisfied.

When the man sat down with us, Kirara placed a bowl of rice and chopsticks in front of him. We explained the situation to him, and what may happen if he joined us. Gorobei agreed, but not out of pity or for the reward of having meals, but to be able to fight alongside Kambei on the battlefield, after seeing him apprehend a robber some time earlier.

Huh. So Kambei's the one who scared my cellmate before me.

"Gah... Everyone is always _master Kambei_ this and _master Kambei_ that!" yelled Kikuchiyo.

"Oh! You're the guy who got his head cut off!"

"Shut it!"

Suddenly, something flew into the room, aimed for Kambei. Gorobei quickly caught the item, which turned out to be some metallic rod or needle. He said that he knew danger is near because of the scent of blood lust.

_'The scent of the enemy,' _I thought, briefly remembering my master's words.

Then, two more metallic rods flew in. Kambei sliced one down as Gorobei got the other.

"Katsushiro, protect the others!" commanded the white swordsman.

Gorobei and Kambei then ran out. I wanted to stay and help protect the others, but then Kikuchiyo ran out as well.

"Kiku! Get back here!" I yelled, running after him.

_'Please,'_ I thought,_' Don't make me draw my sword.' _

Outside, I noticed our attackers. A creep with pink hair, and what I think is a cyborg. Gorobei quickly got up to the upper floor, the two enemies in front of him.

"Looks like you've caught Ayamaro's attention," I heard Masamune say.

Was I hearing things?

"Ayamaro?" asked Katsushiro.

Damn. I wasn't hearing things. I saw that guy once when my katana was stolen by a bodyguard of his, and man, he has a face that no one would love.

As Masamune explained who Ayamaro was to the group, I looked up at the 3 people (er... 2 and 1 cyborg). Gorobei made a bet with the enemy. If he's dead, they can kill us all. If he's alive and able to catch all the metal rods, then the enemy must let us all go. Kikuchiyo was complaining whether or not we should let the strange man go along with the bet, but we did anyways.

Gorobei tried to make a compromise, but pinkie shot 3 rods at him. As all 3 were caught with ease, 2 more were fired, and were caught as well. The enemy cyborg then leaped up into the air, attacking Gorobei. Kiku, wanting to help, used his large sword to knock down the pillar.

"Whoa! Kiku!" I yelled," This place is friggin' old! Everything is gonna collapse!"

"Uh-oh..."

* * *

**End of Chapter One**

* * *

**A/N: **Just so you know, updates are random.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **This is shorter than Chapter One.

**Disclaimer: ** I do **not** own _Samurai 7_. Akira Kurosawa owns the original 1954 move _Seven Samurai_, while the anime studio Gonzo made the anime.

* * *

**Recap:  
**

_...Kiku, wanting to help, used his large sword to knock down the pillar._**  
**

_"Whoa! Kiku!" I yelled," This place is friggin' old! Everything is gonna collapse!"  
_

_"Uh-oh..."_

* * *

**Chapter Two: Well This is Some Day**

We all managed to escape, avoiding the collapsing building. Dust was everywhere, so I had my kimono's sleeve in front of my nose and mouth, trying not to inhale it all. I could hear sounds of fighting. As the debris cleared, I saw Kambei fighting pinkie and Gorobei fighting the cyborg. Both enemies were easily defeated, and Kikuchiyo was chatised for his dumb mistake.

"That's enough, both of you," said Kambei. "Kikuchiyo, what are you going to do about that?"

We all looked at the destruction. Some people came, wondering what the heck was going on. Komachi looked at it in awe, then said,"That's awesome and all, but now we're all in trouble."

We all looked at Kikuchiyo.

"Erg... Fine, fine! All right! I'll clean up!" He said, wearing a piece of cloth over his head.

"If it makes you feel any better, Kiku," I said, walking up to him," I'll help."

"Thanks, Aki!"

As the rest of the group talked, I helped Kiku clean up. I rolled up my sleeves, made sure they wouldn't get in the way, and made sure my hair was tied back tightly. Kiku did the heavy jobs while I cleaned up the fallen pieces of rubble. Everyone else had left a few minutes ago, deciding to stay at Masamune's and my place. Kikuchiyo also stayed at Masamune's but he's usually out in the streets doing some stupid things. Sometimes, I had go get him out of trouble, or help repair him.

"So," I said," I thought we were just cleaning up..."

Kiku had been actually trying to rebuild the fallen building.

"Yeah, but I feel guilty for knocking everything over. You don't have to help in rebuilding. Just keep cleaning up!"

"Alright..."

I put my katana hanging from my waist and gun from my pocket down somewhere where it won't get in the way, and continued to clean up the place. It was tiring, but I managed to do it. Kiku had used the bigger pieces of rubble in rebuilding, so it wasn't _too_ hard for me. Eventually, we both finished.

"Hey, Aki," said Kiku, getting my attention.

"Yeah, Kiku? What is it?" I got my weapons back, and I rolled down my sleeves.

"Do you think this is okay?"

I looked at his attempt at rebuilding the former jail house. Though it didn't look like it was stable in a few places, it seemed sturdy overall.

"Looks okay to me," I said shrugging. " I don't know about architecture, though."

"Ah, well. At least I tried!"

"Hey, let's get back to Masamune's. Everyone must be there."

The two of us took our time to get home. We talked more about what happened in the time I was in jail.

"So _that's _why my cellmate got scared..."

"What?! You were in the same cell as that robber?!"

"Yeah, why?"

"Did he...?"

"No, he didn't. I '_played nicely_' with him. You know, for fun," I smiled a bit too sweetly, thinking about how funny it was to give the guy hell.

"Hn... I still can't believe you gave up being a samurai, yet you still agreed to help those farmers."

"Well, it was either help them out or stay here and go to jail again. I think the guards like me going back to jail."

I heard Kiku grumble in response. He said something, too, but I couldn't hear it.

We were soon walking down the stairs near Masamune's place. Up ahead though, we saw a blond man in red with his sword raised at Kambei.

"AH! Kambei, look out!" Kikuchiyo took off the cloth around his head, and ran towards the red samurai, his sword prepared to strike. He easily got rid of the weapon, and would've struck down my friend if Kambei hadn't struck the man from behind, making him drop his sword. Kiku tripped over one of the many fallen metal pipes, and rolled on them, stopping right in front of Katsushiro and Kirara.

The stranger glanced at Kambei, and took his sword from the ground.

"I changed my mind," he said, "Another time, then."

He sheathed his twin swords into the scabbard, and walked away. I stared at him as he walked by me. His red eyes flickered towards me, then straight ahead. I looked in the direction he left. Just who is he?

"Akinari?"

I snapped out of my daze.

"Huh? Yeah?"

"Are you alright?" asked Gorobei.

"Yeah, I'm alright. So... The guy that just left was fighting master Kambei?"

"Yeah!" said Komachi, running up to me. "It was scary, but cool!"

"He could be a good ally," said Kambei, joining us.

So scary guy could join us?

"All right... Well- Ack!"

"What's wrong, Aki?" asked Komachi.

"I forgot something! I'll be back later!" I said, running off.

Back at the building Kiku tried to rebuild, I found my wallet. I had something very important hidden in a secret pocket of it, so I was happy to have found it.

_'If Master was here,'_ I thought,_' He'd be mad at me for even forgetting this.'_

As I went back home, I thought about what's going to happen from here on out. I'm helping out farmers about their Nobuseri problem, but before that, we need 8 samurai all together. We only need 5 more though, since so far there's Kambei, Gorobei, and I. I feel like Kiku and Katsushiro are going to be part of the team eventually, along with the red man, so that leaves 2 more. Pfft. Maybe a rice-lover would join? Ha, I doubt it.

Going down a deserted alley, I paused in my walk. Bells... I can hear the sound of 2 bells...

* * *

_"Master! Master, where are you?!" I ran frantically around the battlefield. Today's battle was over, and there were so many casualties from both sides. "Master?!" _

_Why can't I hear his bell? Why?! Master always has a bell on his sword and around his neck. If he's alive, then I should be hearing the sound of them by now! I stopped in my running, and fell to my knees.  
_

_"N-no..." Master laid on the ground. His head had been sliced off, and it was a few feet away from his bloodied and mangled body. There's so much blood. All I can see was red splattered in the brown earth. _

_"Dammit...!" I punched the ground.  
_

_I should have never left your side..._

* * *

I came back into reality when I heard a meow. Oh, I see. There were bells on the cat's red collar. I calmed down, then continued to walk to Masamune's. It was just one little flashback. I'll be fine.

_'Do I honestly believe that, though?'_

* * *

**End of Chapter Two**

* * *

**A/N:** I've decided to follow the anime while putting a few changes to some of the scenes here and there for this fanfic.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Samurai 7. Akira Kurosawa owns the original 1954 move Seven Samurai, while the anime studio Gonzo made the anime.  
**  
**

**Notes:  
**

Genwa- also called Genna, the period went from 1615 to 1624.

**Recap:**

_I came back into reality when I heard a meow. Oh, I see. There's a bell on the cat's red collar. I calmed down, then continued to walk to Masamune's. It was just one little flashback. I'll be fine.**  
**_

* * *

**Chapter Three: Old Friend  
**

"Excuse me, sir!"

"Hm? What is it?"

"You're a samurai, are you not?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm a samurai! What's it to you?"

Maybe I shouldn't ask... Gah. Never mind.

"You see, I was wondering if you can join us? We intend to fight the Nobuseri, an-"

"Nobuseri?! Look, I don't care who you are, or what the reward is, I'm not dumb enough to go against them! Find someone else!"

The man roughly shoved me and walked away, making me stumble.

"Hey, Aki!" Kikuchiyo ran up to me, waving. "Got any luck?"

"*sigh* Nope. So far, they're either too much of a wuss, or they don't want to work for food."

"Arg... That's no good... Hey, want to go home for now?"

"Sure."

Back at Masamune's, Katsushiro made a record of the number of samurai that turned us down. Four for himself, 8 turned down Rikichi, 2 for Kirara, 2 for Gorobei, and 8 for me.

"We can't exactly say that things are turning out well for us, can we?" the boy asked.

"Three of us so far, hm?" said Kambei," That makes it a ratio of 1 in 8."

"Don't forget about me..." said Kiku.

"Let's try a different are this time," Kambei said, ignoring my friend.

"HEY! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!"

"No, we're not."

...Well that was pretty blunt, Gorobei. Kikuchiyo angrily grabbed the paper that had the record of the samurai that turned us down, ripped it up, and threw the pieces in the air, yelling about what was the use of it. Gorobei quickly used his sword and caught all of the pieces before they dropped to the floor. We all were in awe, and Kiku just plopped down on the floor, his back to us. Komachi went to him, cheering him up.

"In any case," said Kambei to Katsushiro, unfazed by the previous scene,"We know that out of every 8, one will join us. You're record-keeping was useful." The green-haired kid looked happy for the praise. "Well then, shall we get going?"

"By the way," said Gorobei," What do you intend to do about that samurai from before?"

Kambei touched the side of his neck, where the red samurai had cut yesterday.

"If you're wondering if that red guy will join us," I said, catching Kambei's attention," I'm sure he will. Not to help us, but to secure a chance to fight you again. I mean, he's pretty intent on killing you someday, and he looks like the stubborn type."

"Well," Kambei stood up," We should go and see if anyone will join us."

Kikuchiyo, Gorobei, Komachi, and I stayed with Masamune. I was tired, so I went to my room for a nap.

I awoke to the sound Kiku's loud voice. How long was I asleep? I streched, rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, and went to investigate.

"What's going on...?" I asked. I noticed that there was a new guy here.

"Hi, Aki!" said Heihachi. My mechanic buddy!

"Hey, Hei-chan! So I guess you joined us?"

"Yup!"

Wow, I was right about the rice-lover thing.

"You know Heihachi?" asked Kambei.

"Yeah. He's my friend from the Great War."

"Hey, hey, hey! Aki!" I looked at Kiku.

"What?"

"You're just in time to see my family scroll! Check this out!" He unfurled a green scroll, and on it were many names. "Ha! Surprised?"

"So... Which one of these is you?" asked Gorobei.

"Here!" Kiku pointed," Right here!"

"Kiku, that's a girl," I said.

"Ack! Uh... Where...?" Kiku tried to find his name. Is that family tree even his? Well, as he searched, I decided to have some cup ramen. Masamune was already eating his, and the water in the kettle was already hot, so I just had to pour it in mine. By the time I started eating, Kiku finally found his name.

"That _is _your name, but if it's really you, then you're only 13 years old," stated Gorobei.

"Huh? Thirteen?!"

"It says here that you were born in the first year of Genwa, right? It would be wrong to send a 13-year-old off to war."

I attempted to hold in my laugh. Kambei asked where he stole the family tree, and Kiku just got pissed, falling on his back. Komachi tried to cheer him up, saying that she's almost the same age as him.

"Aw, shut up!" He rolled away from the group, and we all laughed.

That night, I found myself talking with Heihachi alone outside.

"So you've been wandering around, chopping wood to pay off tabs?" I asked.

"I also got to eat many different kinds of rice!" I laughed. He hasn't changed a bit. "So, what about you?"

"Well... I wandered around, too, until I got to this city. I was flat broke, so I did all sorts of odd jobs, and sometimes I had to steal. I met up with my old friend Kikuchiyo, started working with Masamune, and I just started living with them. Though I hate to admit it, I'm usually in jail..."

"Jail? Why?"

"I suck at being a thief, remember?"

He chuckled.

"I'm guessing that jail is almost like another home for you, eh?"

"Emphasis on 'almost'. The guards keep taking my money to pay for their meals, and my cellmates think beating me up will make them the top dog."

"Do they ever manage to beat you?"

"Nah. What my Master taught me came in handy."

We continued to chat on various topics. It was mostly about rice and mechanics. Eventually, it was getting late, so we both went to bed.

_'I know I'm sleeping great tonight,'_ I thought, and I fell fast asleep.

* * *

**End of Chapter 3**

* * *

**A/N:** If you want, please review! I'd like to hear your thoughts.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:  
**I don't own _Samurai 7_. All I own are my OCs.

**Notes:**

hakama: japanese clothing similar to pants

obi: a sash

Akinari's revolver: A .45 Colt Anaconda

Akinari's katana: a normal looking katana. Goes in a black sheath. The sheath has a small rectangular tab to ''lock'' in with the hilt of the sword. Akinari can put the cloth mentioned in the chapter through the narrow opening and tie it together, binding them.

* * *

**Chapter Four: The Escape**

The next day, I hung out with Heihachi. Komachi was using a log as a slide as we watched. Kiku suddenly showed up.

"Ah! Kiku, you want to try the slide, too?" asked the little girl.

"Don't be ridiculous," said Kiku,"I want to speak with that guy there."

"With me?" asked Heihachi.

"You're going to fight me!" Kiku had his sword pointed at Heihachi.

Komachi fell silent, and ran back inside.

"Sorry," said Heihachi," But I'm not very good at this kind of stuff. They say that even chance meetings in life are because of karma."

"GRAAH! And you call yourself a samurai?!" yelled the cyborg," I didn't buy crap that from you from the start!" Kiku swung his sword, and called out," Draw your sword!"

Heihachi calmly stood up.

"Hey! As fellow samurai, we should cling to our fleeting lives and admire the beauty of the rising sun, shouldn't we?"

"Eh?" Kiku seemed confused. "We're... both samurai?"

"Absolutely! The body of iron takes the spirit of steel. Swords are made of steel and a samurai's spirit is his sword! It's circular!"

Kiku rested his sword over his shoulder.

"I don't really understand that, but you just called me a samurai, right?"

"Yeah."

Kiku got into a happy mood, and had his arm around Heihachi.

"Hey, you got me, don't you? I knew right from the start that we'd get along! Ha ha ha!"

"What the hell just happened?" I muttered.

Komachi came out with Kambei in tow.

"See? Look! They're fighting ea- huh?"

"Fight?" Kiku looked at her," Don't be ridiculous, kid! We're the best of friends! Ha ha ha!"

"Weird..." said Komachi, wondering what had happened when she left.

"Alright, then," said Kambei," Kikuchiyo, you can come look for samurai with us today."

"See? It's all good," said Heihachi.

"Oh, so you finally accept me as a samurai?!" said Kiku, cheerfully.

"Right now, I'll take any help I can get," said Kambei, walking away.

"Ha... Burn!" I grinned, leaning onto the log that Komachi had used as a slide earlier.

Kiku's shoulders slumped in disappointment.

I chose to stay home today. I needed clean my katana and my gun. I chose to clean my gun first.

Not wanting the fumes to stink up the place, I cleaned it outside. I unloaded my revolver, making sure there weren't any bullets in it. I then tied a piece of cloth to the rear of the cylinder opening. After dipping my bore brush in the cleaning solvent, I put it through the barrel of the gun. After that, I took a cleaning patch that was dipped in the cleaning solvent and put it through the barrel of the gun. It's been awhile since I did this, so the inside of the gun was very dirty. I then used a brush to clean various parts of the revolver, and I also used a bore brush to clean where the bullets go in.

After cleaning off any residue, I put my bullets back in the gun, and put it to the side. Now I have to clean my katana.

I gulped, and carefully undid the the white piece of fabric that tied the hilt of my sword to the scabbard. I then unsheathed the sword. Examining the blade, I figured that the sword was sharp enough. used a sheet of rice paper to remove the old oil from the blade. I also lightly powered the blade. Using a cotton cloth, I rubbed over the power, polishing both sides of my sword. After re-oiling the katana, I sheathed it, and tied the white fabric back on. Tight enough to keep it in, but loose enough so I can easily unsheathe it if I ever chose to actually use it.

_'How long has it been since I've actually used it?'_

"Akinari!" I looked out of my room, after I had put away my cleaning supplies.

"What is it, old man?"

"Didn't you hear?" asked Masamune," The officials are tracking down arresting all samurai and those in the warrior class because the imperial envoy has been assassinated."

"That's not good..."

"You should pack your things up now. You all might need to escape tonight."

"Right."

After Masamune left to inform the others, I looked for my messenger bag. I packed up the things I think I'll need. Some clothes, my money, etc. By the time everyone came back, it was all ready nightfall. I learned that Kiku got caught in jail, and met some of my cellmates.

"There isn't much time left," said Kambei.

"They'll be coming in from above. We'll have to hide even lower," said Gorobei.

"So what will we do?" asked Kiku.

"We can escape downward," suggested Masamune.

"Doesn't that worry you?"

"All of the key locations are probably being covered," the old mechanic replied.

"Do you know of any ways we can escape?"

Masamune thought hard. I then remembered something.

"Hey, isn't there that elevator train, Masamune?"

"Elevator train?" asked Kambei.

"Yeah," I said," Um... What was it, again...?"

"It's a cargo train that connected the upper floor to the lower floor. That was a long time ago, though," explained Masamune.

"All right!" Kiku stood up, excitedly. "It's settled, then!"

"That's not for you to say," said Gorobei.

"Who cares about that?!"

"Let's go. Right now, there's no other way," said Kambei.

As everyone else got ready to escape, I volunteered to go ahead to the elevator train, to see if it's still working. The thing was really old.

"Tch... Where the hell do I start?"

"Hey, Aki! Is the thing all ready to go?" called out Kiku.

I looked out the train door.

"Not yet! I can't seem to get this thing working right!"

"We'll help!"

Heihachi and Masamune came over. The old man told everyone to get on board, even though the thing wasn't working yet. Heihachi wasn't too worried, though. He said everything will turn out fine. When everyone came in, Kambei started to tie up Masamune for his own safety. If it looked believable that we forced him, then the guardsmen would let him go more easily.

"Can we beat him up, too?" I asked, referring to Kiku and myself. I grinned like a madman.

"Yeah! I've always wanted to do this!" Kiku said happily, when he came in.

"Gah! Anyone but you two!"

"Don't worry..."

"We'll be gentle~!" I said.

The both of us raised our fists.

"GAH! NO! KIKU! AKI! GRAHH!" Kiku and I gave multiple bruises, while I think I broke 2 of his ribs. We threw him out of the train, right when the guardsmen came rushing towards us. "You bastards! I won't forget this!"

"Looks like I'll have to buy us some time!" Kiku went out to ward of the enemy, as Heihachi and I climbed to the top of the train. Heihachi got the train moving, and I just stood my ground with Kiku (he jumped over when it started moving), in case some mecha guards came over. I really hate vehicles.

As the elevator train rapidly moved downwards, I saw a spark of light in the sky. The guards must've alerted the others. On the side, I could see some guardsmen chasing us. Gorobei joined us, alert. Above us, we could see another elevator train coming.

"It wouldn't be any fun if nobody was coming!" said Kiku.

"And you're happy about this?"

"That's Kiku for you!" I said.

Kambei suddenly appeared with a gadget Masamune had sold to Heihachi earlier. I didn't pay attention to what he told Kiku. Kiku took the gadget and hammered it onto the train. Just then, some mechas and a couple of guardsmen came, and we fought. I didn't unsheathe my katana, but I still used it, holding it by the scabbard.

One of the guards held a spear, and attempted to pierce me in the stomach with it. I swiftly side-stepped, and thrust the end of my katana's sheath upon his neck. His neck fractured ( I think. I mean, there was a sickening **_crack_**) from the force of the blow, and he stumbled backwards, falling off the elevator train. The man was coughing up blood, trying to breathe, as his friend pulled him up from the train in front of me, trying to keep him from being run over. A mecha came over from my left suddenly, and tried to push me with its sword. I fell on my back trying to guard; the mecha's weight starting to take a toll on me.

_'Shit! This isn't good!'_

Will all of my strength, I shoved the mecha away from me with my legs, and I quickly got out my gun, having my katana rest on my hip by my hakama's obi. With 3 quick shots at point blank into its head, the mecha short circuited. Blood and oil dripped out of the holes as it fell away from me.

_'Guess that wasn't an actual mecha,'_ I thought grimly.

I could faintly hear our names being called, when Kikuchiyo started to wind up the gadget.

"Gorobei, Aki, you two go on ahead! I can handle this fine by myself!" he said.

"I'm staying," I said," Leaving you alone here just doesn't seem right to me. Gorobei, we'll come after Kiku's done!"

"All right, got it!"

Gorobei left us to join the others. I was on my guard, ready to deflect any enemy as Kiku winded up the gadget. To our left, 2 mechas came in. I shot twice at one of them before I reloaded, and I shot again. I missed twice. The next moments didn't seem to register in my mind with me. I heard an explosion from behind me. Did the tracks get blown out?

The elevator train slowed, allowing the rest of the group to jump off to a platform. Kiku was trying to fight off some enemies, while I was trying not to get pinned down again. I then felt a sharp pain at the back of my head when I dodged from an attack from the front. As I fell, I turned around, shooting my attacker. As the enemy mecha fell away from me, I could see the elevator train moving rapidly once again, before I finally passed out. Just my luck...

* * *

**End of Chapter Four**

* * *

**A/N:** Just so you all know, I don't really know how to clean a gun and a katana. With the katana part, I go it from using Google. With the gun, I got from what I remember when I watched my brother clean his handgun...


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Samurai 7_. All rights reserved to their respective owners. I just own Akinari and any other OCs.

**Notes:**

shamisen- 3-stringed Japanese musical instrument

* * *

**Chapter Five: Firefly House**

_''How could he have a child with another woman?!''_

_''Mother, please, calm down!''_

_I paused what I was doing, just holding my colorful ball. I looked over to the closed doors._

_'What's going on?' I crept towards the source of all the noise. The lady Father brung me to didn't seem to really like me. Why? I don't understand. Father said she was supposed to be nice!_

_The woman Big Brother called 'Mother' was yelling again. _

_''Mother, please,'' brother pleaded,''The doctor said you shouldn't be stressing out.''_

_"But what about that cursed __**thing**__?! It's tearing our family apart by just living here!'' I heard the sound of something shattering, and I instantly backed away from the door. "Wait," I heard the woman say," I know what to do..."_

_I heard the woman's plan for me. I thought my Mother told me not to end up like that..._

_"No, Mother, for the last time, you're not selling Aki to that kind of place!''_

_''Don't you call that thing by its name in my presence, Ren!"_

_I got really scared. Not wanting the woman to find out I was here, I ran off, not knowing that I had left my ball by the door yet._

* * *

I groaned as I woke up.

"So your finally awake, Aki!"

"Ngh... Huh?"

I slowly sat up, and looked at my surroundings. I guess I had been sleeping in a corner of the candle-lit room, with Kiku sitting to my left. A short old woman sat across from him, and there was Kiku's 'family tree' between them.

"How do you feel?" my friend asked.

"Horrible. Groggy. My lungs feel like they're burning a bit... Did I fall in some water and almost drowned?"

"Well, I _did_ had to hide under a bridge..."

So that's why my clothes feel damp, too.

"Where are we, anyway? What happened?"

"We're at the Firefly House! We got separated from the others back in Kogakyo. I managed to grab you and jump off the the train before it crashed. Tried to find the others, but those damn guards just wouldn't let up! I think they're still trying to find us..."

Firefly House? Oh, that inn thing from the city near Kogakyo... Ah, good times, good times. Wait.

"Damn. Our friends probably think we're dead."

"Maybe. Oh, hey, you hungry?"

"I'll eat later," I turned to the old woman," Where can I get a bath?"

"To your left and down the hall. Towels and everything are already there."

"Thank you." I bowed slightly and grabbed my messenger bag that was leaning on the wall to my right. I took out the clothes I intended to wear after my bath, along with a roll of bandages and ointment, and I left. I was lucky that no one was in the baths, so I just relaxed. The hot water felt nice on my skin, especially on my sore ribs, and as I bathed, I thought about the dream I had before waking up.

_'Why did I dream of __**that**__? The last time I dreamed of my family was right before I met Master, and that was a lo~ng time ago.'_

I simply don't understand at all.

After I finished my bath, I dried myself with a towel and got dressed. Instead of a violet kimono and grey hakama, I wore a dark blue kimono and white hakama. I almost forgot to re-wrap my torso in the bandages I had brought with me, but I remembered before I left. I really have to be more careful out on the streets. When I had been searching for samurai back in Kogakyo to help those 3 Kanna villagers, I had gotten into a fight somehow. Nothing important or anything.

Drying my hair, I remembered that I forgot to bring my hair tie, too. Man, what's with me today? I'm not this forgetful. Neh, oh well. What are the chances that someone I know will recognize me? Besides, with my hair down, I'll just look like some girl to them.

Still, I quickly went back to the room I shared with Kiku. He was looking for his name on the scroll again.

"Hey, Aki! Where's my name on this thing, again?"

"What's that, 13?" I smirked.

"Sh-Shut up!" Steam blew out from one of his many pipes. "I'm not 13!" He crossed his arms and looked away from me. "Just eat your food..."

"Fine, fine, Number 13~!"

I waved my hands at him and sat down to his right. The food was really good. The fish was tasty, and Heihachi would've loved the rice!

"Hmm..."

I felt Kiku staring at me as I ate. After I finished eating, the old lady left to take the tray away.

"Kiku? Why the hell are you staring at me?"

"I still don't get why you have keep your secret from everyone..."

I sighed, and took a hair tie out from my bag. As I put my elbow-length hair in a ponytail, I said to him," Kiku, I thought we already went over this. I'm a girl. If certain people were to find out that I was actually female _and _a so-called 'samurai', I'd be in deep shit. I mean, you know how society thinks of women these days. They expect them to be weak, look over the family, and be the homemaker. If I pretend to be a guy, then I'll be able to freely do what I love to do."

"You mean going to jail?"

I face palmed before slightly glaring at him.

"No, I mean fighting."

"Why couldn't you tell the others?"

"Kiku, I hardly know them. I'll tell them when I'm ready. Well, except for Hei-chan. He already knew."

"I figured as much, from the moment you said that you two were friends since the War."

I heard him grumble.

"Hey, Kiku. What's wrong?"

"I dunno if I should treat you like a girl or a guy..."

"Guy. Please. Even _I _forget that I'm really a girl sometimes, so this is easier. Ok?"

The old woman from earlier came back in.

"Is there anything I can do for you two?" she asked.

Kiku perked up.

"Take a look at my family tree! I'm right..."

As he made the poor lady help him look for his name again, I decided to read a book from my messenger bag. I didn't feel tired at all, even though I only had a few hours of sleep. I know I'll probably crash from sudden fatigue later, but for now, I'll just keep myself occupied.

Eventually, Kiku and the old woman were fast asleep. I could faintly hear the sound of a shamisen and someone singing for a few seconds. I read for a few more moments, until I felt a familiar chill down my spine. I quickly shoved my book back in my messenger bag, and stood up.

"Kiku! Wake up!"

"Huh? Wha...?"

The two woke up, and I told the old woman to leave. She asked no questions and left, seeing me have my katana ready. I faced the other doors of the room, opposite to the one she left from.

"Aki... What is i-"

The ones who were chasing us burst into our room. There were some guardsmen and 2 individuals. The red samurai I saw back in Kogakyo, and some other dudes. Kiku was now on full alert at the sight of our enemies.

"What the hell do you want?!" Kiku yelled, as I readied myself to dodge in case if the intruders suddenly attacked.

"This is a samurai hunt," said a guardsman," Come quietly."

Before Kiku could say anything (I saw him reach for his family tree in glee), I said,"Kiku, let's get out of here! It's too cramped to fight!"

I ran out, with the cyborg in tow. The guardsmen followed us. I was ready to fight, until I had to step out of the way. Kiku ran away when the red samurai tried to attack. I looked at where he ran to, and saw the others. I hastily knocked out the guard that was in my way, and ran to our friends. I didn't know they were here, too!

I heard Kiku yell about something being back, and Komachi seemed really happy.

"Hey," I said," It's not that I don't like this whole reunion thing, but I really think we should be getting out of here now."

I then heard a voice from behind Kiku and I.

"Found you, Kirara!" Gah. What was that guy's name? Ayamaro's son... I think it was Ukyo? "You shouldn't be here, in a place like this. Leave here with me, dear."

"I'll slice you all up!" said Kiku, fired up for a battle. I stepped away from one of the guards, keeping my distance.

A blond haired man ran in front of him before Kiku could use his sword.

"This is the Village of Healing," he said,"Swords aren't allowed here. I must ask that you all please refrain from any violence."

An argument started. The enemy wanted to fight us, while we wanted nothing to do with them. One of the men attacked. Gorobei blew flames from a candle towards the glasses wearing attacker.

"Akinari! Get over here!" I heard Kiku say.

"Alright!"

I ran over to the group. The blond man then raised the tatami mats all around us.

"Everyone!" he said,"Under the floor!" The man then turned to look at Kambei. "Kambei, it's been a long time since we fought, huh?"

A woman raised a block from the floor from its handle, and we all quickly went in. After the block was put back into place, everyone got into the boat. I froze in my step, initially intending to go in after Kiku. A boat...

"So we're going in the boat?" asked Kiku.

"Yes," said the blond man," It'll take us out of here. Why?"

"Oh nothing. I just have to do _this_!"

Kiku swiftly punched me in the gut.

"Th-Thanks... " I passed out.

Carriages, boats, trains, whatever! I'm _**never**_ going on them unless I'm either knocked out or I'm in the spur of the moment.

* * *

End of Chapter 5

* * *

**A/N:** For once, I had time to work on this. I thought for sure that I'd lose interest in this, but I can't seem to just discontinue this fanfic. Starting to get into writing fanfics.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes:**

*I don't actually know what each mecha's type is!*

Raiden- the blue mechas

Yakan- the short cylinder shaped mechas

* * *

**Chapter Six: New Ally and I Used My Wits!**

I groaned as I woke up the next day. I sat up, wincing, as I looked at my surroundings. I was in a home, and Katsushiro laid in a bed next to mine. There were bandages on his right thigh. What could've happened while I was out like a light?

"Akinari," Kirara walked in,"You're awake. Are you feeling all right?"

"Yeah, I'm all right," I said, as the water priestess sat down next to Katsushiro," Um... What happened last night?"

I noticed that Katsushiro was breathing heavily. I thought he was asleep, but he's clearly awake.

"Our pursuers shot an arrow at us when we escaped the Firefly Inn. Katsushiro got hit." Kirara took the cloth that was on his forehead, plunged it in water, then put it back on his forehead after wringing the cloth out as she spoke. "We're in Metal City. A woman named Honoka was kind enough to let us stay here for the time being."

"I see... How long was I out?"

"A couple of hours. It's nearly noon." It was a brief silence before the girl asked," Is it true that you're afraid all modes of transportation?"

I sheepishly turned away, laughing nervously.

"Yeah... It's true. Why?"

"Well..." Kirara trailed off a bit before saying," Kikuchiyo said that you were afraid of them. You seemed to be doing fine when we were on the elevator train some time ago, but we had to get on the boat, you looked like you were going to have a heart attack."

I was a little embarrassed that I was admitting one of my fears to her.

"About that... I was distracted from my fears when those guardsmen attacked us on the train. When I thought of it as just an elevator, and not a train, I was pretty OK. When it came to the boat however, well, you saw what happened."

"I guess even samurai have their fears." I looked away from her at that statement. Samurai... She considers me to be a samurai... "Akinari? Is there something wrong?"

I looked back at her, and saw her worried eyes. I showed her my fake smile.

"Nothing. Just thinking about something."

Yes. It's nothing. Nothing at all.

A blond man came into the room. I recognized him from last night.

"Hey there," he said," I'm Shichiroji. You're Akinari, right?"

"Yes, I am."

"That big guy punched you pretty hard. Are you OK?"

"Yup. It'll take more than Kiku's punches to bring me down!"

"Glad to hear that," Shichiroji then sat down next to Kirara and asked," So how is he?"

"His fever is starting to rise," she replied," It doesn't look like he can sleep because of the pain..."

Shichiroji and I detected someone on the roof. Through the opening, someone hit Katsushiro with a dart through a blow pipe, and escaped.

"Who's there?!" Shichiroji asked, running outside to try and catch the stranger.

While he was gone, Katsushiro's breathing calmed. I took out the dart that was in his left arm, and examined it. Hey, I know this thing! Kambei, Heihachi, and Komachi came in, concerned. Shortly after, Shichiroji came back in.

"What happened?" asked Kambei.

"A Shikimori shot something at Katsushiro," said Shichiroji.

"It's a drug dart medics used to use back in the war," I said," It's one of the antibiotics that was made."

"The pain is going away," said Katsushiro. Komachi and Kirara were relieved.

"For them to use this," said Shichiroji," You have to wonder exactly what the Shikimori are up to."

"At the least," said Kambei," We can assume that they're not our enemies."

Katsushiro then spoke up. "Sensei, please, go on ahead. All I'm doing is slowing you down..."

"You're just trying to come across as a hero."

"That's not what I mean!"

"It's frustrating, isn't? That's good," Kambei then looked at the 2 girls," These people are also grateful to you. That's what it takes to be a warrior." Kambei stood up from his seat on the floor. "You are the sixth." Katsushiro looked happy to be accepted. "After we rest for another night, we'll go." With that, the man left.

"Good for you, Katsu!" said Komachi cheerfully.

"He hasn't changed a bit," said Shichiroji.

"Momotaro, you sound like his old wife when you say that," stated the little girl.

"But like I said, I'm not Momotaro!"

As the group laughed, I took another look at the drug dart. It still had some serum in it. I think I'll keep this for future reference.

Suddenly, we heard a strange sound. The machinery of Nobuseri. I picked up my katana and my gun after putting the dart in my bag, then ran out with Heihachi and Shichiroji. I followed them to the others, and stood with them on the rocky cliff as 1 Raiden and 2 Yakans flew by. I gripped the edge of my messenger bag in anticipation. After they passed, Rikichi yelled at us to start killing them before they get away. A young woman ran towards us, and stood in front of Rikichi.

I watched as the Raiden gave the Shikimori 2 barrels of rice, and got some large batteries in exchange.

"You must not cut down the bandits!" yelled the woman,"They're the Shikomori's trading partners!"

"What are talking about?!" yelled Rikichi,"The Nobuseri are our enemies!"

"The Shikimori said that we can't get the Nobuseri angry at us!," the woman yelled,"They're letting us live here!" She calmed down a bit, before saying," If that's what the Shikimori say, then there's nothing we can do."

"Honoka..." muttered Rikichi.

So the lavender-haired woman was Honoka? Damn. How much did I miss?

"What should we do, Kambei?" asked Kiku.

Rikichi attempted to go after the Nobuseri, but Gorobei stopped him.

"Why are you all just standing there?!" yelled the Kanna farmer," The Nobuseri are right there in front of our eyes!"

"There's nothing we can do," said Kambei, calmly.

"If you guys aren't going to do anything, then I will!" Rikichi stole a katana that was the closest to him, which was Gorobei's, and ran.

As everyone went after him, I stayed behind. I watched as the trade between the Nobuseri and the Shikimori were completed, and the enemy left. I turned around, and walked down the path before I ran into Kiku.

"Going after them?" I said.

"You stopping me?"

"Nah, why would I? I'm coming along. I feel cramped, being in a dark cave and all."

"Heh heh! Then let's go, quickly!"

The two of us ran after the Nobuseri, and once we were by the water, Kiku went in. I didn't want to get wet, so I just kept close to the wall, carefully, as I took each step, careful not to fall into the water. After some time, Kiku resurfaced, and we heard a familiar voice.

"Kiku! Kiku!" We looked up at the cave's ceiling. How the hell did Komachi get up there?! Sliding down the stalactite, Komachi fell to the water, making a loud splash.

Cursing under my breath, I hid behind a stalagmite, and held my breath. Kiku and Komachi went under water to hide.

_'Please don't find us,' _I repeated in my head.

The Raiden's flashlight scanned the waters, before it left with the Yakans. I let out my breath, as the 2 resurfaced.

"Ah! You startled, me, Kiku!" said Komachi.

"I'm the one who's startled, sprout!" said Kiku,"What are you doing here?"

" What are _you_ guys doing here?"

"I was chasing the bandits," said Kiku, pointing in the direction they headed.

"I was making sure Kiku doesn't get killed," I said.

"I was following you guys," said Komachi.

"Why?"

"Because you two seem to do crazy or stupid things when you're together. I was really worried..."

"You don't need to worry about us," said the cyborg," You know kid, we are samurai. Samurai are big enough to do great things! There's no need to worry! After hearing what Rikichi said back there, how could I just sit still?" Komachi nodded. "Now that you understand, why don't you go on back. It would be bad if the Nobuseri found you."

Komachi nodded again.

"Komachi, you can go back to the others if you follow the path this way, alright?" I said, as I helped her out of the water. "You're small enough to walk on it easily."

After she left, Kiku and I continued to make our way out of the cave. It was a sandstorm out there. Outside, Kiku tripped, and came face to face to a katana wielded by a man in glasses. Behind the man was the red samurai. There were also 2 Nobuseri. A Raiden and a Aw shit. We're screwed!

"...You aren't by any chance Nobuseri, are you?" asked Kiku.

I held my hands up in defeat.

"...Don't hurt us?" I said, smiling nervously.

I let them capture us as Kiku tried to put up a fight. He was easily tied up, though. The two of us were taken to the Nobuseri's floating harvesting fortress. Inside, Kiku was about taken away in one direction, while I went in another direction.

"Hey! Why are we-"

"This young man will be going in a cell," said glasses man, interrupting Kiku," We have reason to believe that he may be the one who assassinated the imperial envoy in Kogakyo."

Say what?

"But I did nothing!" I complained.

"You've stolen and killed for money in the past. For all we now, you could've accepted a job to kill the envoy in exchange for a large sum of cash."

"I may be stupid, but I'm not _that_ stupid!"

"Be quiet."

I was roughly pushed forward, and was forced to walk away from Kiku. I'm in deep shit now.

Let's see... I'm in a prison cell, tied up by rope. My weapons and messenger bag are on a table by the door. I have 2 foot soldiers in the room watching me, along with 1 Yakan. I can easily untie myself with that trick Master taught me, but then the enemy would try to re-tie me if they see me. I can try to do this slowly and discreetly, but once the rope falls, that Yakan will see. If I'm fast enough, I can knock out the 2 foot soldiers after untying myself and grab the cell keys, but then the Yakan may escape to get more of its buddies, or it might fight me, causing a ruckus that could alert the other guards. I need to be able be already out of the cell. That way, I can knock out the foot soldiers and tie the Yakan up with the rope after I'm free.

But how can I do that? C'mon, Aki, think!

I started coughing, pretending to be sick with some disease.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" asked a foot soldier.

"*cough* Sorry, *cough* I haven't had my *cough* m-medicine yet..." I coughed some more. " I-I have a condition... *cough* If I don't have my medicine, my body will shut down..."

"You looked fine earlier."

I bit the inside of my cheek and spat out blood, pretending to cough.

"Aw shit!"

I was let out of my cell. As 1 foot soldier stood behind me, the other searched my bag for the 'medicine'. The Yakan didn't know what to do.

"Is this your medicine?" asked the foot soldier, holding up the drug dart.

"Y-Yes... *cough* I need to be untied though, or else these bindings will prevent it from spreading through my body *cough*"

The damn suckers fell for it. Once I was untied, I spun around, kicking the soldier behind me in the face. I stole his sword as he fell back, stabbed him, and then the other soldier. The Yakan in the room attempted to seize me, but I jumped away from its large sword. I jumped again, this time towards the Yakan, and pried open the top hatch. The person in side glared at me, then tried to throw me off. With all my strength, I shoved the Yakan to the ground away from me.

A loud _clunk _was heard, and the man inside fell out. Before he had time to get back up, I took the sword I held and threw it like a spear. Blood splattered as the man died, the sword embedded through his skull. His muscles twitched as he tried to cling to his last shreds of life. I walked over to him, and pulled him by the ankles to the cell I was just in. I slowly pulled out the sword, but I pulled a bit too roughly, and blood spurted out of the wound. I quickly stepped aside. I can't get any blood on me.

After dismembering the corpse so I can fit it in the cell easier, I put the sword back in its dead owner's sheathe.

I grabbed my belongings from the table, and checked the Yakan. Yes! It's not broken! I ripped a piece of cloth from the dead man's pant leg and wiped off any blood spots on it. After cleaning it and throwing away the bloodied cloth, I went inside the Yakan. It took me a few minutes to make it start working again. I closed the hatch above me, but I didn't lock it. I exited the room, and made sure that no one could get into it, jamming the door.

_'Now to find Kiku...'_ I thought.

I retraced my steps and found myself in the corridor where Kiku and I were separated. I went in the direction he was taken to, until I came to 3-way split. Which path to go? I got my answer a couple of minutes later, when glasses man from earlier came out of a room to my right.

"You there!"

"Yes, sir?" I made sure my voice was a bit deeper, in case he recognized me by voice.

"Take the prisoner in that room and take him outside. You are to follow the others, understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

I saluted, and once he walked away, I went to the room.

"Finally!" A Nobuseri was in the room. "Take him away, please! He's annoying me to death!"

"Of course, sir!" I saluted, and went over to the tied up Kiku.

"Hey! Don't you get near me!"

I smacked him upside the head, and held him by the rope.

"Shut up," I said. After leaving the room, Kiku continued to struggle. Once I was sure no one would hear, I said," Kiku! Shut up! It's me, Aki! I stole this Yakan to get to you!"

"Wh- Oh... Wait. How do I know that you're _really_ Aki?! Tell me, is Aki a guy or a girl?!"

I sighed. "I'm a girl, but I pretend to be a guy. Now shut up and bear with me here! We're getting out of this place."

I found other Yakans and followed them out of the floating fortress. I really didn't want to, but I dragged Kiku on the sand as we all made our way towards Hyogo and Kyuzo (I had Kiku explain to me who they were on the way). Looks like they plan to kill the red man. From a distance, I saw our friends rush in to defeat the enemy. Hyogo became pissed.

"Ha-Ha! Dirty tricks like taking hostages won't work against him!" said Kiku. I held him a bit higher to let the sand pour out of him. "After all, he is- no, _they_ are samurai after all! Haha!" Many Yakans fell to their blades. "You got that?! Anyone who uses a gun is no samurai!"

"Hey! What about me?!" I popped out from the Yakan I was in, and glared at Kiku. "I use a gun, and you say that I'm a samurai! Make up your mind!" I may not call myself one, but if someone says I am, then I am. OH! SHIT! I blew my cover! "Uh... we're outta here!"

I went back in the Yakan and flew away from Hyogo with Kiku in tow. He shot the Yakan on its side though, and I lost control. I was once again out of the Yakan, but on the ground this time. After getting up, I ran over to Kiku and undid the ropes. While I was doing this, Hyogo made a deal with Kyuzo and the others. Basically, it was a fight to the death between Kyuzo and Kambei. If Kyuzo wins, he won't get in trouble for betrayal. If he loses, Hyogo himself will kill him. I knew that they knew what would really happen. Hyogo would shoot them down at the right moment in their fight, intending to kill them both.

All of a sudden, Katsushiro came out of nowhere, and attacked a Yakan that was behind me. I was so focused on the scene before me, that I never noticed the large sword about to be put down on me. Hyogo shot him, but missed. Katsushiro landed in the sand near me.

"Thanks, Katsushiro!" I said, helping him back up.

"No problem, Akinari."

"KYUZO!"

Kyuzo had taken the chance to attack Hyogo. He sliced up Hyogo and his gun. Two Yakans closed in on Katsushiro and I. We were prepared to take care of them, but then Kiku ran over, and punched them, knocking them to a rock.

"Hey, kid! That was pretty cool of you!" he praised Katsushiro. The boy looked proud.

The others walked towards us.

"Katsushiro," said Kambei," How is your injury?"

"I'm fine now, Sensei. The Shikimori led me here."

"Hey~!" We all looked up at the top of a large cliff. "We came to help!" yelled Komachi. With her were Kirara, Rikichi, Honoka, and some Shikimori.

Guess everyone's all and accounted for.

"You're in it now, samurai," said Hyogo, dying. We were all gathered around him. "You're not getting away with this... Right now, Soubei-dono is heading back to the main base." We all tensed at that. The enemy will know of us, now. "Wh-Why... Kyuzo...?" The man looked up to the red clad swordsman.

"I want to live," Kyuzo replied, simply, calmly, and coolly.

Before he took his final breath and died, Hyogo called him a fool. There was a silence, until Kambei asked,"Will you join us?"

Kyuzo turned to him. "When do we leave?"

"Right now."

Yay! Another ally!

"You're leaving?" asked a Shikimori," We'll miss you."

"The Nobuseri now know about us. There isn't a moment to lose."

"Kambei-sama," spoke up Honoka.

"Don't worry," he said,"Wait for us here."

"My sister and Rikichi-san's wife must definitely be in the Nobuseri's main base..."

"Let's go."

Kambei started to walk away, before Kirara suddenly blurted out, talking about Kyuzo, " This man is our enemy!" With a worried look, she stared at Kambei.

"Kyuzo is our ally now, and not our enemy," Kambei said, and walked away.

I kind of agreed with Kirara, but also with Kambei. Kyuzo is now our comrade, but once this is all over, he will surely attempt to fight Kambei in a death match. I think he's just helping us to make sure that _he's_ the one who takes his life, and not some Nobuseri or something.

Well, whatever. Call me a coward, but as long as I don't end up having to fight him, anything is good with me.

* * *

**End of Chapter Six**

* * *

**A/N:** Don't want to sound whiny or anything, but please review! I would really like it if I could read what you thought about this fanfic!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Oppa Gangnam Style!

Anyway, thank you people who reviewed! Feedback is always good.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Samurai 7.

**Notes:**

cheongsam - body-hugging one-piece Chinese dress for women. Also known in English as a mandarin gown.

Erhu - A Chinese 2-stringed fiddle.

geisha - not prostitutes, they entertain men.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Hey~ Sexy(?) Lady**

_Earlier that day...  
_

_"So we're going to split up into 3 groups?" asked Gorobei._

_"We won't draw a lot of attention that way," said Heihachi._

_"The bandits know too much about us," said Kambei," Now then, where should we meet up? Is there a place near the village that could serve as a landmark?"_

_"Right before the bridge is Wing Rock," said Kirara._

_"Wing Rock?"_

_Kirara nodded._

_"It looks like a large wing. It's easy to recognize."_

_"My friends and I use it as a base!" Komachi said, happily._

_"All right. We'll meet there," announced Kambei._

_"So how are we splitting up?" asked Shichiroji._

_"We'll let the farmers, who are familiar with the land here, show us the way," said Kambei," At least 2 samurai will accompany each of them."_

_"Agreed."_

_"Okay then. We'll meet up again just before the village soon. May we all have a safe trip."_

_"Hey! Wait a minute! Which group do I go with?!" asked Kiku._

_"I didn't count you," said Kambei._

_Aw, poor Kiku..._

_"In that case," said the cyborg," I'll just go my own way! Ak-!"_

_"Don't expect me to come along with you," I interrupted," I don't want to end up captured or lost."_

_Kiku grumbled in disappointment._

* * *

Heihachi, Gorobei, Rikichi and I were walking on a path through a forest.

"To hide a tree, put it in a forest; to hide a person, put them in a city," said Gorobei," If we have to travel in secret, then that's all the more reason to walk down the road in the middle of the day."

"Even so," said Heihachi," Aren't these get-ups just a little too noticeable?"

The four of us were wearing some sort of jacket that street performers may wear. Heihachi and Rikichi carried a banner with similar colors on their backs.

"I just can't settle down," said Rikichi.

"Don't be so self-conscious," said the dark-skinned samurai,"If anyone asks who we are, tell them,'We are a merry traveling company!' "

"But all I know is how to grow rice. I can't do any tricks or anything..."

"That's okay! You know what? You're stage name can be 'Maguso Koedayu, Master of the Hoe!' All right, that's settled."

Pfft- Horse Dung Manure Officer?!

"Well then," said Heihachi," I'll go as Hoho Eminosuke, Master Woodpecker!"

Deputy Governor of Smiles? ...That actually fits him.

"Haha! Now that's the spirit!"

Heihachi and Gorobei started to laugh, but then Rikichi stopped walking.

"This isn't the time to be laughing..." he said, softly.

"When times are tough, that's when you have to laugh," said Heihachi," That's just the kind of man Gorobei is."

Heihachi walked ahead as Rikichi stayed for a moment.

"Hey," I said," C'mon. Everything will be A-OK in the end!"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know it will happen. I mean, you want the Nobuseri to be gone and away from your village for good, right?"

"Yes..."

"And you want your wife back, right?"

"Yes!"

"Then stop moping! If you're depressed like this, it'll only hinder your decisions and lower your morale. Keep a positive attitude, and you'll do fine! At least, that's what I think..."

The Kanna farmer smiled.

"Thanks, Akinari."

"It's nothing. Now let's catch up with the others!"

We caught up with Gorobei and Heihachi up ahead. A crowd gathered in front of a stage as a girl stood atop a long pole.

"Come, come!" yelled another girl, playing a drum,"Wash yourself clean from the grime of this world! Ready! Ah-1, 2, 3!"

The performance began. The girl standing on top of the pole opened her 2 fans. Streamers sprouted out. She waved her fans around, making as if the ribbons were dancing. The girl then twirled around, and more ribbons came out of the fans. As she spun, her left leg was up and behind her head.

_'She's really... flexible,'_ I thought.

A rainbow appeared as the girl continued to perform. There was another girl who wore similar clothing as the other 2, and she called out,"She's spinning more than usual!"

At that, the performing girl turned her back to the audience, leaned back far enough so she could see us, and water squirted out of her tear ducts and nose. Four birds appeared out of her mouth and flew away, before becoming fireworks. Everyone clapped, including us. Rikichi simply stood there in awe.

"Bravo!" said Gorobei.

"That was an unusual trick," said Heihachi, as 2 Yakans came over to the edge of the crowd. I made sure my face wasn't seen by them, as they scanned the crowd and went away.

"That was close," I said.

"Yeah..."

"Um... Where's Gorobei?" I asked. The man was no where in sight.

"Hey!" The three of looked in the direction the voice came from. "Over here! These young ladies are willing to help us!" Gorobei was standing with the 3 girls who had set up the performance just a few minutes earlier. We walked over to them. "These girls are willing to lend us some disguises."

"What kind of disguises?" Rikichi asked.

"Men," said Gorobei," We're going to pose as women."

* * *

"NOOO!" yelled Rikichi,"Stop! Please! How come I gotta have my legs shaved?!"

"Aw, you're so shy! It's not that bad," said one the girls. Rikichi was forced to sit by 2 of the girls, while the other girl shaved his legs.

"See?" said one of the girls," Doesn't it feel good? So soft and smooth!"

"Why, you... Gorobei-sama!"

Gorobei and Heihachi were currently putting on make-up.

"Keep it down, would you?!" he yelled," They'll find us, you know!" Heihachi started to help Gorobei put on make up. "Oh, Heihachi, you're going to make me quite the beauty."

"Yes, yes! You're too much for Hoho Eminosuke!" said Heihachi, smiling.

I laughed. So glad I chose to travel with this group!

"I'm done for! Those two have lost it! Akinari! You're on my side, at least?"

I popped my head out of the back room that had all the dresses and costumes again, grinning.

"Sorry man, but you gotta do what you gotta do! Hey girls, catch!"

I threw them the dress and wig Rikichi will have to wear, and I went back in the back room. I swear I could hear squealing of delight along with Rikichi's protests.

I had already put on some make-up. It wasn't really much, though. Just soft pink lip gloss, and some eyeliner. I looked at myself in the mirror after I changed clothing. I wore a long black cheongsam with gold lining. There were slits on both sides, making me wish that the dress didn't show my legs so much. The dress had a faint pattern of a dragon in grey. I put my hair up in twin buns, tied by a gold ribbon. I also wore high lacy stockings that went up to my mid-thigh, and black Chinese slippers. I made sure that the stockings hid the scar on my right thigh.

I decided to keep my ear cuffs on that were on my left ear, and I found a Chinese style black bolero jacket to wear. The jacket was loose, including its sleeves, and red ribbons on the collar. I searched my messenger bag and took out my gun holster. I could hide my gun under my jacket! After strapping the holster around my left shoulder and fixing my attire a little, I was done getting ready. Something in a box by the corner of the room caught my eye, though. It was an old erhu in a box, and I decided to take it. Might come in handy, you know? I just hope I don't have to use it... I've never played it before.

I picked up a kimono for Gorobei and a sweet Lolita dress for Heihachi. I also picked up a blond wig, a violet wig, and some other items before stepping out of the back room. I stifled a laugh when I saw Rikichi in his disguise, as the other men finished up on their make-up.

"Hey, guys," I said. Everyone stared at me. "These okay with you?" I showed Heihachi and Gorobei their disguises. They nodded, still staring at me. "...What? Do I look weird?"

"No..." said Heihachi.

"If I didn't know any better," said Gorobei," I would've thought you were actually a girl!"

You have no idea, Gorobei.

"Why do I feel like you've done this before?" asked Rikichi, miserable.

"That's because I have. When you're flat broke in a huge city, and you treat jail like a second home, you'll do nearly every job you can to get some cash. Including pretending to be a geisha."

Rikichi stared at me in disbelief as I helped Heihachi button up the Lolita dress.

"Are you serious?" asked Heihachi, turning his head to look at me. Oh, right, I never went into detail about what jobs I took to make a living. Still, though...

"What? Sure, it felt degrading, but I needed the money!"

* * *

"Bye, ladies~!"

"Good luck!"

"Please, come again!"

We parted ways with the 3 girls. They were kind enough to lend us a cart to carry our stuff in. The only ones who looked ridiculous were Gorobei and maybe Rikichi. I have to admit, Heihachi makes a pretty girl.

"I've never been so disgraced in all my life..." muttered Rikichi.

"I think it suits you pretty well," said Gorobei.

"And your legs are so soft and smooth," said Heihachi.

"Besides, it's only this one time," I smiled at him," It's not like you have to dress like that forever."

The man sighed, dejectedly.

As we walked down the canyon road, we saw black smoke in the distance. We ran towards it, intending to investigate.

It was a village. Everything seemed to have burned down, and no villagers were in sight.

"It must be the Nobuseri," I said.

"They're still around here, eh?" stated Gorobei.

"It's unsettling..."

As we walked through the burned down village, some Yakans came up from behind us.

"You there," they said," What are you doing here?"

Rikichi fell to the ground in fear at the sight of them.

"Oh, goodness!," said Gorobei, in a high voice,"Nobuseri! Thank you so much for all that you do!" ...What the fuck? "Wow, seeing you up close, you are so handsome~!"

Heihachi and I caught onto his plan, and nodded. I refuse to follow through with it though... But then again, maybe I'll try. Just pretend that you're a geisha, Aki...

"My, you really are so strong!" exclaimed Heihachi, walking up to one of the Yakans and resting his head on its front. "What a thick chest you have! I think I'm in love!"

"Oh," the Yakan spoke," You're geisha."

"Aww..." I said, forcing myself to go with the plan, "He called us geisha..." I did my best to sound female.

After years of speaking in a masculine voice most of the time, my ability to talk like a girl waned as my masculine voice became my normal voice. It wasn't deep like an actual male's, but low enough for people to assume that I'm male.

"We are merely a merry traveling company!" said Gorobei. As Heihachi and Gorobei fawned over the Yakans, Rikichi and I attempted to crawl away. No way in hell were we going to stick around.

"You two there!" said the Yakan," What is your name?"

"I-I'm... Fukui Ran!"

I wanted to face palm at that. I'm not fortunate at all!

"M-Maguso... Koedayu..." said Rikichi, very nervous.

" 'Maguso' ?!" Laughed the Yakans," What a name! Are really a performer? You're not one of those wanted men we heard about, hmm?"

"Oh, no, Nobuseri-chan!" pleaded Gorobei,"Don't be ridiculous!"

"In that case, why don't you show us a bit of your act? Can you do that?" Aww shit... "If you can't, then I will cut you down right now!"

"Do we go at them?" I heard Gorobei whisper to Heihachi.

"We can't avoid it..." he replied.

The Yakan raised its sword. I quickly nudged Rikichi with my foot, pointed at my erhu, and he shot up.

"Nobuseri-san!" he quickly said," you're so handsome!"

"We think we're in love with you!" I said sweetly, trying not to grimace in discomfort.

"I, Maguso Koedayu, will now do a dance for the Nobuseri!"

"And I, Fukui Ran, shall play the tune!"

Oh, Kami! **KILL ME NOW!**

"Ready now," Rikichi clapped as I _**tried **_to play a jovial tune. I sounded okay, but it was still crap.

"Planting comes first! Harvest comes next! Thanks to the rice bran, my skin is nice and smooth! My face is smooth, too! To top it all off, my tush is smooth, too! Whether I point it here, or there, with no where else to go, I'm still doing good!" Rikichi started to lift up his skirt. " See here? Everywhere you look, I'm nice and smooth! My legs are so fine!" He showed more of his legs. I gave the Yakans a side-view of mine at the end with a smile, though reluctantly.

...Did I just see that Yakan short-circuit when it saw Rikichi's?

He and I laughed nervously.

"Um..." the Yakan that had short-circuited spoke,"Okay. Er... That's enough. You don't have to show off... Please, ma'am, put your skirt back down. And you," It pointed to me,"Practice more, please. No offense, but you suck."

Damn, that was blunt.

"O-Of course, Nobuseri-chan..." I said.

The other Yakan said to its friend,"Let's go. We're busy."

After the enemy left, I dropped to my hands and knees, my ehru on the ground next to me. Rikichi fell back, trembling. Gorobei and Heihachi came over to us.

"Thanks, guys. Because you two, we didn't have to fight," said Gorobei.

"I-I-I-I-!"

"Don't say a thing," Gorobei put his hand on Rikichi's shoulder," You guys did well." We shared a laugh, and Rikichi had tears of relief. "Now let's get going!"

Heihachi helped me to get back on my feet, and the four of us continued the journey to Wing Rock.

* * *

Later that day, we decided to take a short break at a little tea house by the road. There, we figured out how long it'll take for us to reach Wing Rock.

"Judging by the path we took, it'll take us until later in the evening to reach Wing Rock by foot," said Gorobei.

"But everyone will be there by sunset!" I said.

"Argh...! What are we going to do?!" said Rikichi, "We can't let them wait..."

As the group thought about what to do, I spotted a man getting ready to leave. The man walked over to his large cart that would be driven by 2 horses.

"I got a plan," I said, standing up from the bench. "Wait here. Hei-chan, come with me."

"Er... Alright...?"

I quickly walked over to the former client with Heihachi, and caught his attention.

"Excuse me, sir?" I said in a sweet feminine voice,"Um... Could we ask you something?"

The man stared at me, his face turning a little red when he saw us.

"Hm? O-Oh! Of course! What seems to be the problem?"

"Um... Well, you see, my friends and I are travelers," I gave Heihachi a look, silently telling him to play along," and the four of us have to get to Wing Rock by sunset."

"Wing Rock?" the man asked,"You mean that large stone that looked like wing over time?"

"Yes!" said Heihachi," That's the one! We were wondering if you could give us a ride? We don't want to keep our friends waiting, so..."

Heihachi and I gave the man pleading stares. I held myself back when I saw Heihachi's face. So adorable! The stranger looked at me then at Heihachi, before sighing in defeat. I noticed that his stare lingered on Heihachi for a split second.

"Alright, I'll give you girls a ride, but not directly there. I'm heading east, so I can just take you about 3/4 of the way."

We smiled brightly.

"Thanks so much!" we said.

"Yeah, yeah, just get your friends. You all can ride in the back."

Heihachi walked back to the others to get them. Before I went to help gather our stuff, I turned back at the stranger and said," Oh, and if you do anything suspicious," I showed him my gun," Well, I'm sure you'll do the right thing, correct?"

He straightened up his posture, becoming stiff.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

I smiled, with a little malice laced into it.

"Thanks, mister!"

* * *

Eventually, after parting ways with the man, we reached Wing Rock at sunset. We saw Kambei, Kiku, Komachi, and Katsushiro up ahead.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" called out Gorobei, bringing the leaves he used as a fan away from his face, " The merry traveling company has arrived!"

"Y-Yo!"

"Hi..."

"Hello!"

Heihachi and Rikichi popped out from behind Gorobei, a little embarrassed, as I jumped up and onto Heihachi's back. I waved at our shocked friends. Oh man, Katsushiro's face is just priceless! His wide-eyed expression was clear that he was thinking," What the fuck?!"

"What's with you guys?!" said Kiku,"You all look like very beautiful women!"

"Oh, Kiku!" scolded Komachi,"You have no taste in women! Though I admit that Heihachi and Akinari look pretty..."

I got off of Heihachi's back as we walked towards them.

"Looks like you had quite a strange trip, but at least you're here," said Kambei.

"So where's everyone else?" asked Gorobei.

"The Nobuseri were hanging around here, and all..." said Heihachi.

"Sensei," said Katsushiro," I'll go look for them!"

The boy was about to leave, when we saw Shichiroji.

"Are you alone?" asked Kambei.

"No, no, I just got here a little earlier," he said.

He gestured behind him, and we all went to look. A little ways away, sat Kirara and Kyuzo. The water maiden was sewing the man's coat sleeve. She finished, and handed it to him. They exchanged a few words before Kyuzo put his coat back on.

"Aww... Cute," I said, smirking. I dismissed my previous thoughts.

"I'd say our journey was dull," said Shichiroji.

We walked away from the scene, leaving the duo alone, as Katsushiro stayed behind. Kiku ran back and grabbed him away.

Now when can I change out of this disguise?

* * *

**End of Chapter Seven**

* * *

**A/N: **I know, chapter isn't that good. Very sorry.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Samurai 7. Just Akinari and some other OCs.

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Village of Kanna; Troubles and Preparation**

After I changed out of the disguise and into my dark blue kimono and grey hakama, everyone prepared for the second part of the trip to Kanna Village. Heihachi, Gorobei, and Kyuzo were on the look out for enemies as everyone else hid in a cart full of bundles of hay. Rikichi pulled the cart along. Because of my condition concerning transportation, I went with Kikuchiyo, going our own way.

We decided to climb down the cliff, cross the short river, and climb back up on the other side. Well, Kiku climbed while I hung onto his back. Kiku was better at climbing than me, and I'd only slow him down if I climbed on my own.

"Real Samurai find their own way, right, Aki?" asked Kiku.

"I guess so."

After we got to the top, I jumped off of Kiku's back, and we went straight ahead. Looks like the others had already gone to the village.

We reached the rice fields, where we saw Komachi and another girl around her age with a baby on her back, talking. We overheard their conversation about how the villagers had hidden away their food and young women somewhere, afraid of us.

"Secret stash?" inquired Kiku, when we got closer to the children,"Hey kid, where is it?"

The short black-haired girl looked at us both before asking Komachi,"Who're they?"

"The big guy is Kiku while the other boy is Aki."

"You'll call me Kikuchiyo-sama!" bellowed my friend.

"So they're your lackeys?" asked the girl.

"...Lackeys...?" I said, though no one heard me.

"So kid-"

"My name's Okara," said the girl, interrupting Kiku.

"Alright. So Okara-chan, where's this secret stash?"

Okara thought for a moment, before telling us to follow her. The sun had set once we arrived on the side of the mountain. There were many closed entrances.

"Kiku," started Komachi," Is this going to be some test of courage?"

Kiku chuckled.

"No matter the village, they all think the same way, huh?"

Oh, that's right... Kiku was a farmer! How could I forget?

The red cyborg put down his sword and started climbing the wall.

"Careful, Kiku!" I called out," Some of them might be traps!"

"Don't worry!" Kiku looked back at us once he got in front of one of the many sealed openings. "That secret stash is here!"

"Kiku..." Komachi held onto Okara.

"Don't think of this in a bad way, Sprout!"

Kiku opened the seal, only to be forced back by a torrent of water and skulls. I stepped out of the water's way, as Okara laughed.

"Told you so," I said, watching as Kiku short-circuit a little. The water had blasted him full in the face, so I bet some water got into his system. "You girls might wanna step back a bit, unless you wanna get shocked." I held the girls back as Kiku recovered. Some more sparks crackled around his head as he got up and got the water out of his head. One of them crackled out and hit me in the face, but it didn't really hurt. As long as the kids weren't the ones getting electrocuted, it was fine.

After he was dry and not having sparks flying out, he tried again. Each time ended in the same way, and I kept the girls a safe distance away from him once I saw the sparks fly. On his 6th try, he finally succeeded.

"HA HA! FOUND IT!"

"Wh-Who're you?!" yelled a girl. I noticed that she had some dirt on her face, and her hair was incredibly short. It was like someone had just chopped of all her hair and she tried to fix it.

Her protests were ignored as Kiku picked up 3 bales of rice, the girl, and his sword.

"Kiku, put the girl down!" I yelled,"You're fu- scaring her!"

I reminded myself that there were kids around, so I kept my language in check. Kiku ignored my scolding as he happily started to head into the direction of the village.

"Aki!" I looked down at Komachi. "Look what was in there!" In her hands were lots of arrows.

"Huh, so they didn't just store away their food and girls..." I shook my head. "Now's not the time for that. C'mon, kids. Let's catch up with Kiku before he does something stupid."

"I hear you," said Okara. "How do you put up with him?"

"No idea..."

The three of us caught up to Kiku.

"I found your rice and women! See? See?!" he yelled. Everyone in the village were surrounding Kiku, clearly unhappy. They were afraid of him, though, because of the size of his sword. "Did you think that you guys could hide these from me in that secret stash of yours?!"

The girl over Kiku's shoulder struggled to get off.

"Shino!" yelled a villager.

"Give back our rice!" yelled another.

I saw our friends come to the scene.

"Hey! Move out of the way, you idiots!" yelled Kiku.

He spun around, and the villagers backed off, avoiding his sword.

"Shino!" called out an ugly villager.

"How did you find the secret stash?!" demanded another.

"I may be a warrior, but I can see right through the way you all think! ...Eh?" An old man, whom I believe is the village elder, walked up to the cyborg. There was a brief silence, before Kiku asked, rather rudely,"Old man, you got some problem with me?!"

"Naw," said the Elder," This is good."

Kiku chuckled and said,"If you think you can turn back now, you're greatly mistaken! The Nobuseri will never let a village go easily after it has rebelled!" The villagers cowered in fear. "But, now that I'm here, there's nothing to worry about!"

"Grrr... LET GO OF ME, WOULD YOU?!" yelled the struggling girl.

"Oh, alright!"

Kiku dropped her on the ground. I walked to her, and held my hand out. She glared at me.

"I'm really sorry, miss," I said," Sometimes, I just wish my friend would think before he did things."

The girl's expression softened just a little, and she let me help her get back up on her feet.

"I feel sorry for you..." she said.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

I kicked Kiku in the shin, making his balance falter before he stood up properly again. He had to give back the 3 bales of rice he took back to the villagers as I reprimanded him.

"Shut up, you nut head! I yelled at you to put her down earlier and leave her alone, but you weren't listening! What, did all those water blasts to the head damage your brain?"

"Kinda..."

I face palmed. Of course. I sighed in annoyance.

"That explains it," I muttered to myself, before saying to him," ...If you're still having some technical problems throughout the night, tell me. I'll fix you later, though I doubt that I will have to do anything, got it?"

"Got it!"

I turned back to the girl.

"Anyway, you're not hurt, right?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"No, I'm not. My name is Shino, by the way."

"I'm Akinari. You can just call me Aki, if you want."

"Alright, er... Aki-kun. I'll see you later, then."

She left to who knows where.

* * *

I ignored Kiku, irritated. I know he didn't really mean what he did, but seriously? Playing around with Rikichi's wife's kimono? Well, at least he didn't accidentally tear it or anything, or the situation would've been much worse.

I heard muffled squealing and talking from outside. I guess some girls were staring at Katsushiro, watching over him "secretly" and getting all giddy. Komachi and Okara came in quietly, and surprised the boy. I heard the two girls laugh. It was cute, but a little creepy, too. Still cute though.

* * *

Since Rikichi's place was too small for all 8 samurai ( well, in my opinion, 7 samurai and 1 former kleptomaniac), we were all staying at different homes. I shared a room with Heihachi and Kyuzo, but the red samurai preferred to sleep outside somewhere in the forest. That's good, since my secret will be safe for the time being.

Right now, it was just Heihachi and me. The room was dark, and we were both awake.

"So," I said, lying in my futon," We start preparations tomorrow?"

"That's what Kambei said," replied Heihachi. "Nervous?"

"A little... You?"

"I don't know, honestly..."

"I see..."

Heihachi then asked me a question.

"Hey, Aki? I've been wondering, but how long do you plan to pretend to be a man?"

I thought for a moment, before replying," Not any time soon. Why?"

"...You once said to me that you pretended to be one because they didn't allow women to fight in the War. Yet here you are, still living in that facade. Why?"

"Well, for one thing, force of habit. Being male just seemed more normal to me. Another thing is that I didn't draw too much attention to myself back in Kogakyo. When I decided to go around town looking like girl, people looked at me weird. Apparently, women with weapons didn't mix. Some people can be so stereotypical."

"What are you going to do about the women in the village, then? They'll most likely won't be fighting in this war."

"Nothing," I said, as if it were just plain obvious.

"Nothing?"

He seemed confused.

"Nothing," I repeated," If the women want to fight, too, then let them fight. If not, then oh well. I'm sure we'll do just fine with just the men, anyway. They're stronger, and their stamina is better anyways. Plus, I'll need them for something, _if_ Kambei approves."

"Like what?"

"Medicine, of course! I mean, how can you go fight in a war if you don't have the proper medicine ready first? I mean, sure, defending the fort is important, and so is eliminating the enemy, but what about taking care of the injured? Even if it's a small wound, there's a chance of infection and it can be very problematic if not treated properly. At least, that's what I was taught."

"I guess being a medic for most of the War did wonders to you, huh?"

"Yep. Both good and bad experiences just made me better. I learned from my mistakes, and improve."

I tried to stifle a yawn, but failed.

"I guess we should get to sleep now."

" Yeah... 'Night Hei-chan."

"Good night, Aki."

That night, I dreamed about my past again.

* * *

_I was backed up in the corner, trying to stay as far away from the scary lady._

_"No! I don't wanna go!"  
_

_My screams and wailing didn't affect the woman I had to call 'Mother'. This isn't Mommy... The woman in the other village is!  
_

_"Shut up! You **ruined** my life! Everything would've been fine if that man hadn't brought you here! I can't stand you anymore!" She grabbed me by the hair. I cried louder. "Now behave! I'm selling you to that brothel..."  
_

_No... Mommy told me not to end up there in life. She made me promise not to be like her.  
_

_...What's that shining thing in the scary lady's clothes? Is that... a knife?  
_

_My heart was beating wildly. When the lady held me up to slap me, I snatched away the knife and stabbed her arm. She screamed, and dropped me, clutching her arm. She turned away from me, and tried to stop the bleeding. There was a long deep cut. I aimed it to make it deep and short, but the knife moved down her arm when she had dropped me.  
_

_It's all red now. The tatami floor, too. Instead of running away, I stayed. Clutching the knife, I ran towards the woman, and stabbed her in the back. Over and over again. Her blood almost seemed like paint to me. A nice red, to color everything with.  
_

_She won't hurt me anymore if she's dead, right? _

_She won't call me bad names anymore if she's dead, right?  
_

_She won't make me feel so scared to wake up every day from my happy dreams, now that she's dead, right?  
_

_"Mother!" The sliding door opened, revealing my brother. His eyes widened when he saw what I had done. "Oh Kamisama... Akiko, What happened? Why are you holding that knife?"  
_

_I looked up at him, confused, as he cautiously stepped closer to me. Ren has never called me by my full first name before. He always calls me 'Aki' or 'Aki-chan'. He looks scary right now, but I answered him anyway.  
_

_"T-The bad lady is gone now. I killed her."  
_

_The moment I said that, Brother lunged at me. He yanked the knife out of my hands, and pinned me to the floor.  
_

_"HOW COULD YOU?! SHE WAS OUR MOTHER!"  
_

_**Our** Mother? No! She's not my mom!  
_

_"She's not Mommy!" I yelled, trying to get the knife away from him. _

_He attempted to stab me, but I moved out of the way as much as I could. He still managed to cut me deep on the side of my thigh. I cried from the pain and shock that my own brother had just stabbed me. I've always looked up to him, yet here he is, trying to kill me. My light blue kimono was stained red with my own blood, and some of the scary lady's blood. As Ren and I struggled, I managed to bite hard into his arm, the one he used to hold the knife.  
_

_"ACK!"  
_

_I bit him hard enough to draw blood. I then kicked as hard as I could between his legs. He flinched, dropped the knife, and rolled over onto his back. I got out of his grasp and grabbed the knife. I sat on top of Ren, and stabbed him in the stomach.  
_

_"Don't hurt me!" A stab in his chest. "Don't hurt me! Don't hurt me!" Ren got stabbed on his arms when he tried to push me away. **"D-DON'T HURT ME!"** A final stab in his neck. The blood was everywhere. Ren's eyes were wide open and rolled back, his mouth gaped open. Blood had come out of his mouth when I attacked. I was sticky with the crimson mixture of the lady's, Ren's, and my own blood. _

_Oh Kami-sama... I can see Big Brother's insides...! Turning to the side, I threw up.  
_

_I stood up clumsily as I ran out of the room and out the house. What if Father comes home?! I ran through the village, making sure no one saw me. It started raining by the time I got to the forest. My thigh hurts... and the blood won't stop coming out. I'm too scared to look to see how bad it is, even though I should take care of it. Leaning against a tree, I looked up at the grey sky. The rain feels cold, but good.  
_

_"I'm... going to die now..."  
_

_'I feel really sleepy. Maybe a nap would be good...' I thought.  
_

_As I closed my eyes, I felt someone pick me up. I tried to look up, but everything is so blurry now. The person looks like a man. He said something, but I could barely hear it.  
_

_'Please,' I prayed,'Don't let it be my father.'  
_

* * *

The next morning was misty. The villagers gathered around in the middle of Kanna. After waking up from that dream, I just wanted to lie in bed all day, but Heihachi convinced me otherwise.

"We are going to start fortifying the village's defenses," announced Kambei,"I've heard that the Nobuseri's main force consisted of 40 cavaliers. Has there been any changes?"

The Elder nodded.

"Yes. There's about 10 more of the huge cavaliers, so including those teakettles and infantrymen, there are about 60 now."

... That's a lot of enemies.

"At some point, we'll have to send out a few scouts," said Kambei. He then turned around to us. "Heihachi, Akinari. You two will be in charge of weapons detail. Shichiroji, you do what you always do."

"You can count on me," he said.

"Kyuzo," continued Kambei,"Take whatever available men there are and teach them archery."

"Consider it done."

At that, the village men looked very much afraid. Having Kyuzo as a teacher won't be that bad, can it?

"Sensei," said Katsushiro,"What should I do?"

"You will be on patrol."

"...Patrol?"

The boy looked crestfallen. The white clad samurai raised his spirits however, by saying," On no account should you allow any enemies escape. They must not realize what we're up to until we're done."

"Yes, Sensei!"

Kambei then faced the villagers.

"If soldiers don't march in step, then they will not win a battle they could've won. Let's all join our hearts together, and strike back at the Nobuseri!"

A man called out, but stopped. The villagers' morale were incredibly low. Now it was just an awkward silence, until the Elder suddenly yelled. It sounded like it was his war cry. Gradually, everyone in the village joined in, their spirits high. I couldn't help but smile.

This war is going to be a big one.

* * *

In a small hut, Heihachi and I were making parts for this catapult to put at the fortress Shichiroji is building by the waterfall. Some of the villlage women helped us.

"Say, Great Samurai," said a woman,"Do you have a wife?"

I held in a laugh. That was random... and how old is she? About twice his age?

"...You should be working your hands, not your mouth," said my friend.

Komachi and Okara arrived just then.

"Heihachi! Aki!" said Komachi,"Momotaro is asking for you guys! He said he needs to talk about something of a mechanical nature with you two."

"What is it?" asked Kiku, walking over,"I'll handle it!"

"He didn't ask for you," said Okara, making him grumble in annoyance.

"Hmmm..." I looked to my left. "What about these...?" wondered Heihachi, about the weapons we were currently making.

"I'll stay," I said," The only machinery I really know how to do is repairing Kiku, anyways."

"Okay then," Heihachi got up, putting the item in his hands down," I'll see you later then."

I nodded, and he left with the kids and Kiku. The old women and I continued to prepare the wooden parts.

"So, what about you, Sir Samurai?" asked the woman from earlier,"Do _you _have a wife, perhaps?"

"...Just keep working, ma'am."

I continued to make arrows for the archers, in case we run out during a battle.

* * *

That night, a little after sunset, I decided to look for Heihachi. Shichiroji dropped by earlier and told me that he and Kiku were preparing to make a large ballista. I wanted to go see how they were doing, but I had to finish the work I had. When I had finished the work Heihachi and I were doing, I went to Kambei and asked if I could experiment a bit and make medicine and the like, in case we need them for any injured people over the course of this war. After all, you can never be too careful in a situation like this.

He approved, and I headed into the forest to collect the plants that would do well in creating various serums and ointments. It's been years since I've been a medic, so I took with me my old notebook full of various information about which plants to take.

"I wonder... if I had stayed a medic all throughout the War, would Master still be alive today?" I mumbled to myself. I shook my head. "No. Even if he **_had_ **survived that battle, his illness would've killed him anyway eventually."

I heard some yelling in the woods, along with the sound of metal being cut, and I immediately ran to the source of all the noise. That yell sounded like Katsushiro. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the scene before me. Looks like his first kill.

* * *

**End of Chapter Eight**

* * *

**A/N: **Well, that's it for now. Honestly, when I first started this, I thought I'd just give up at Chapter 3, but now it just doesn't feel right, deleting this before it even ended.

On a random note, I now hate (well, dislike) skunks. One somehow managed to break into the school around Nov. 27-ish, and sprayed all over the main office early in the morning, before school even started. Thank god my homeroom was on the other side of the school in the basement! That stuff really stunk...


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Samurai 7. All I own are Akinari and some other OCs.

**Important Note:**

Updates will be very slow until my laptop is fixed. Until then, I'm using an old computer.

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Traitors; Preparations Continue  
**

Katsushiro was on the ground, panting. It was almost as if his mentality had broken off a shard of itself and he was trying to recover. Kirara and Shino were there, too, along with her father. A Yakan and its owner laid on the ground, covered in oil and blood. Though I felt a small rush from the scent, I kept calm, keeping myself in check. Heihachi and Kiku came to the scene. Kambei came shortly after. The man quietly walked towards the emerald-haired boy, with a stern look on his face. He looked at the dead man, then to the blood splattered Katsushiro. Kambei back-handed the boy, and the kid fell back. The sword in his hands went flying, and nearly hit Shino and Manzo if they hadn't moved.

Kambei picked up the blade, looked at it, then to the 2 villagers. He said nothing as he walked away.

"Sensei!" called out Katsushiro.

"Kikuchiyo," the man ignored the boy,"Take care of that scout."

"Me?! Katsu is the one who cut him down, though!" No response from the man in white. "Ugh... For crying out loud, that guy is a slave driver." Kiku reluctantly put his sword down, and proceeded to make a grave.

Heihachi grabbed Manzo off the ground and started to head towards the village.

"Come on," he said, in a cold tone.

I felt very afraid. I've hardly ever seen Heihachi act like this. That cold tone and serious expression is totally the opposite of his cheerful, jovial self.

"Great Samurai," said Shino," Please wait!"

"Now see here, young lady." I flinched when I saw the look in his eyes. It was full of hatred and spite. "I can't keep myself from wanting to cut this man down..."

Manzo struggled, trying to get out of Heihachi's grasp, but to no avail.

"Hey! Stop!" called out Kiku, pausing in his digging.

"Oh please, Great Samurai! Forgive my dad! I'm begging you!" The girl was on the ground, bowing, desperate to save her father.

"The girl is asking you nicely," said Kiku, coming over,"Let him go."

Heihachi glared at him.

"You should do what Kambei ordered you to do." He then put up his normal expression, but it wasn't all happy-go-lucky. "Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything bad to him."

With that, he walked away, Manzo in tow. The man pleaded to Heihachi to forgive him, but I knew it was futile. Shino and I ran after them. As the girl and her father begged to have him forgive the traitor, I stayed a few steps behind, silent. There's nothing I could say or do right now. We soon arrived at the village, and we walked past where Kyuzo was teaching archery. All the yelling and pleading made everyone pause and look at us, wondering what was happening.

Soon, we arrived in the middle of the village. A crowd gathered, and Gorobei ran towards us. The Village Elder came shortly after him. Heihachi threw Manzo to the ground, and Shino ran to him. The traitor crawled to the Elder, desperate for help.

"What's going on?" asked the old man.

"This man sold us out to the Nobuseri!" answered Heihachi. Everyone was surprised. Kyuzo arrived, along with Shichiroji and Rikichi.

"What's happening?" asked Shichiroji.

"Manzo has betrayed us," said the Elder.

"What?!" Rikichi went ballistic, and grabbed Manzo. "How could you do this?! Manzo!"

"We all decided to hire the samurai, didn't we?!" asked a villager.

"I never agreed to it..." said Manzo.

"What're you taking about?!"

"What did you just say?"

"Whether they're samurai or Nobuseri, they're both equally dreadful!" yelled Manzo. "Anybody who had a sword is going to be nothing but unreasonable to us!"

Rikichi let go of him, roughly. "What're you talking about?! The samurai are going to save the village! I can't remember how many times they saved us in the city!"

"B-But they said they're going to get rid of the bridge along with the houses on the other side!"

Everyone went in an uproar at that.

"Is that true, Great Samurai?" asked one of the villagers.

"It's so we can fight the Nobuseri," explained Shichiroji,"There's nothing else we can do."

"I know how you're all feeling, but the samurai have something in mind!" said Rikichi.

"Those guys don't understand!" cried Manzo. "Having us leave behind the fields handed down to us by our ancestors is the same as telling us to all die! How's that make them any different than the Nobuseri, Elder!"

"I hate to admit it," said a man,"but I gotta agree with what Manzo is sayin'."

"Yep, yep," said the man next to him.

"Why, you...!" Rikichi was about to punch the living daylights out of them.

"Are you sure we didn't do anythin' we shouldn't have? When they find out there's samurai here, they're gonna come kill everyone in the village!"

"Yep, yep," said his friend.

"Rikichi, you understand, don'tcha? You know how we feel, losin' somethin' precious to you to the Nobuseri."

Rikichi looked down, not knowing what to say.

"And so," said Heihachi, closing his eyes," you betrayed us to the Nobuseri, thinking that you could get them to at least spare you, is that it?"

Heihachi opened his eyes, angered, and he walked to Manzo. He was about to unsheathe his katana to kill him, right then and there.

"Heihachi," said Shichiroji,"There's no way we're going to be able to fight if you do this. Let's see Kambei's view on the matter."

"That man will forgive anything, but that makes him too lenient! There's no telling when someone who betrayed us once will do it again."

But what about **_you_**, Heihachi?

"Yeah, but-"

"This is a war, isn't it? If it's war, then it's only reasonable to dispose of the traitors."

"It is certainly reasonable," said Kyuzo, speaking for the first time since this whole thing started.

Heihachi took another step, and nearly took out his sword if I hadn't stopped him. I gripped his hand, preventing him from unsheathing the sword and killing Manzo. He glared at me, and I nearly faltered. I kept my fake courageous mask on.

"Let go of me, Aki," he said coldly. I glared right back at him.

"No, Heihachi," I tightened my grip on him," I'm not letting you kill him."

"But he betrayed us!"

"I know that. But like Shichiroji said, we should have Kambei decide it. "

"So you're siding against me?"

"I'm not on anyone's side here! Look, if the little bastard does it again - _if _Kambei gives him another chance - you can kill him."

Heihachi was about to say something, but we heard Kiku yelling.

"HEYYY! Move it! Move it!"

Kiku charged towards us, the villagers getting out of his way to avoid getting hit. Once he got close enough, he hit his sword on the ground. There was a shock wave, and I let go of Heihachi to cover my eyes when dirt was kicked up.

"That idiot!" I heard Gorobei say,"He's been warned about waving his sword around in the village!"

I noticed that Kambei was here. He stopped Gorobei from going over to Kikuchiyo. He said something, but I couldn't hear it.

"I knew something like this would happen," said the cyborg,"Are you all here to hold some court on Manzo?" He walked to the man. "Or are you here to pass judgment on him? You want to sentence him to death?!" Kiku walked up to Kambei and Gorobei. White smoke blew out. "Listen, you guys! You don't know the first thing about farmers! If you kill Manzo, I won't take it lying down!" He pointed at Heihachi when he said that.

"What?" said Heihachi.

"You bet I won't!" yelled Kiku angrily,"Ask any farmer! Not a single one of them will blame Manzo for what he did!"

Kiku looked around at the villagers. He spoke of how the villagers, Nobuseri, ,and the samurai. The villagers were too cowardly to shed their own blood for their land, so they turned to samurai to do the dirty work. He said that if we were to do a thorough search, we'd find things that would contradict the villager's situation of having nothing for themselves. "The farmers, the samurai, _**and **_the Nobuseri are all just corrupt!"

Kiku made a noise that sounded like sobbing. Everyone was quiet as he cried, his back turned away from us. Kambei walked to him, and said," Kikuchiyo, you come from a family of farmers, huh?"

Everyone but me were surprised at this fact. Kiku was a farmer, before he became a cyborg. Back then, Kikuchiyo looked like your average farmer. He never fought unless he had to, though. The only thing that stayed the same was his over happy, childish self.

"Kiku, is that true?" Komachi asked, walking up to him with Okara.

"What? Disappointed with me?" said Kiku.

"Not one bit!" The girl smiled brightly. "In that case, you can help us harvest the rice!"

"So then, it's true?" asked Kambei.

Kiku looked at him in surprise.

"You knew?"

"From the first time we met."

"Well excuse me for being a farmer. I thought that if I became a samurai, I'd have a little better time of it."

"Have you had 'a better time of it'? Being a samurai?"

Kiku grumbled, then said," No way!"

"That was pretty cool, lackey!" said Okara, her eyes sparkling. She was blushing, too.

"Hey!" Komachi spoke up,"Kiku is _my_ lackey! You can have Aki!"

Oh, thanks, Komachi. I feel so loved.

"That makes 8 of us," announced Kambei. Kiku has finally been officially recognized as part of the team. " I don't mind having a samurai with the heart of a farmer. If you don't know who you are, you'll never be able to see the samurai within you." He then looked at Manzo, and called out his name. The man panicked, and begged for forgiveness. Shino begged Kambei not to kill him. Kambei was calm, and asked,"Manzo, do you treasure your land?"

"Yes!"

"Then think about whether or not this land is yours right now. If you treasure your land, then fight for your land. If you treasure your daughter, then fight for your daughter. Maybe thinking about how onw is going to survive is proper for you to do as a person... On the other hand, know that those who only think about themselves are the first ones to ruin themselves. Don't forget that what we are trying to do to carry on here is a war. I don't think of you as a farmer, but a soldier of Kanna Castle. And as a soldier, you can understand why we are abandoning the other side of the bridge, right?"

Manzo looked down.

"Once the Nobuseri are wiped out, you can always rebuild your house again. But if you betray us a second time, I will kill you myself."

"R-Right!"

"So, we're soldiers, huh?" asked the Elder.

"Any objections?"

"Nope. That's all right with me."

"Is that all right with you?" Kambei looked toward Heihachi. He reluctantly agreed. Kambei then stood up. "What are you all doing then? We've already wasted an hour! Get back to work!"

* * *

"Stop," I grabbed Shino's hand," You're going to put in too much. It'll be too watery. Remember, it has to be like a paste."

"Oh! Right, sorry."

I continued to mix the liquid I had in a bowl. I was using the drug dart I got back in Metal City as a basis to work on to make this drug the medics never released in the Great War. I was surprised to still find the notes in my notebook, since most records of it were destroyed.

I was aiming to make a sort of booster, where if injected, the burden of fatigue and pain would temporarily vanish. You'd be able to fight as if you were in top form, but the side effects would hit you almost instantly after the drug wears off. The strain on your body would be too much to bear, so you'd simply fall into a deep sleep for hours. If you overdose, then your heart will beat too fast and stop. Because you'd feel no pain, you may be suffering from any injuries obtained in battle without realizing it.

Though the risks outweighed the benefits, I was determined to make it. Could be handy, you know? For now, I won't let anyone use it until it was perfected. I'll test it on myself.

"So, Sir Samurai, how do you know so much about medicine? Do you get injured a lot?" asked a girl.

"Not really, nowadays. Back in the Great War, I started out as a medic. Towards the end, I started to fight as a soldier along side my Master."

"Master?"

"Well, he was my teacher. He taught me nearly everything I know ever since I was little."

"Really? How old were you when he started teaching you?"

I thought for a moment, before saying,"I think when I was around 6-years-old... Hey! You're spilling some!"

The girl looked down, and gasped.

"Ack!" She tipped the bowl back up, and blushed. "Sorry..."

"It's okay. Just remember to pay attention to what you're doing."

"Yes, sir!"

After working some more, along with a few failed attempts (they came out foul-smelling), Katsushiro walked in.

"Akinari!"

I looked up from my successful concoction.

"Yeah, kid?"

"How are things here? I'm reporting back to Kambei."

"Progress is going well, I guess. Tell him that we'll have enough medicine to last awhile."

"Got it."

Katsushiro left. An hour later, we got another visitor.

"Hey, everyone!" It was Komachi and Okara. "We got food!"

I smiled, and took one rice ball. The two girls then gave out the rest to the women I was working with.

"Hey, this is pretty good," I complimented.

"Thanks! We helped Sis make them!" exclaimed Komachi. I noticed a rolled up cloth on her back.

"Hey, Komachi, what's that?"

"Oh! I almost forgot!"

Komachi climbed on top of a stool, and rolled out the cloth.

"Look! Look!"

Six circles were in 2 vertical rows of 3, with another circle at the top above the middle blank space of the top 2 circles. A triangle was at the bottom of the circles, along with the kanji for "Ta".

"Is this our flag?" I asked.

"Yup! The "Ta" is from tanbo! Rice paddy! That's us! The white circles are the samurai! Kambei is the top circle, since he's the boss. The triangle is Kiku, since he's a farmer, too!"

"That's a pretty good flag!"

"Thanks! Okara helped me come up with what shapes to draw!"

"It was nothing," said Okara, being modest.

After the girls left, and I did some more work, I decided to call it a night. Before I headed back to the uninhabited home I was sleeping in, I went to look for Kambei. It didn't take long to find him by the fortress at the waterfall. He stood with Shichiroji.

"Akinari? Shouldn't you be asleep for tomorrow?" asked the blond.

"Yeah, but I have a question for Kambei."

"What is it?" Kambei looked my way.

"I apologize, but I have another request. I was wondering if I could set up a couple of traps starting tomorrow morning. I couldn't help but notice that we have multiple blind spots in the area, where we wouldn't be able to detect the enemy in certain weather, or the only way to actually find them is if we moved some positions. To have a better advantage, I suggest that we should set up traps there. If the enemy comes in, they'll be incapacitated when the trap hits."

"That sounds like a good idea... What sort of traps do you have in mind?"

"Primary explosives."

"Explosives?!" Shichiroji stared at me in shock from my bluntness. "How would you manage that?"

"While I was out picking herbs for medicine, I found some old Nobuseri corpses here and there. I took a look inside, and found unused explosives that were in this large container it held."

"Hmm..." Kambei closed his eyes in thought, and opened them again. "You have my approval. Just be careful."

I grinned, and bowed.

"Thanks! I'll start early tomorrow!"

* * *

I was in bed, trying to rest, when I heard Heihachi come in. Pretending to be asleep, I heard the sound of clothes rustling, and Heihachi laid down on his futon. My back was turned to him.

"Aki... I know you're still awake."

I turned around.

"How did you know?"

"You're breathing isn't slow and calm enough to show that you're asleep." There was a silence, until he said," I scared you earlier, didn't I?"

I didn't bother to lie to him. He can tell whether or not I was.

"Yeah..."

I heard him sigh.

"Sorry... But you know how I feel about traitors..."

"I know... I just wish wish you didn't look so scary! Though, then agai-" I stopped myself. "Y-You know what? Never-mind! Let's just leave it at that, be friends again, and go to sleep!"

"What? What were you going to say?"

"Say what?"

"Aki! Come on! I'm curious now!"

I snickered.

"Good night, Hei-chan!"

"But-!" I turned around, my back to him, and closed my eyes. "Oh, alright... Good night, Aki."

For some reason, my thoughts wandered to the past, years ago, during the war. Mentally shaking my head, I ended the thoughts.

_"I really need to get my mind straightened out..."_

* * *

**End of Chapter Nine**


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